To Have and To Hold
by cuteasahybridpuppy
Summary: "I want to get married," Caroline announced suddenly. "If you wish to get married, we can get married," Klaus shrugged. - A collection of snapshots following their life together as they try to stay true to their vows.
1. Prologue

"I want to get married," Caroline announced suddenly whilst rolling on top of him, resting her head on his shoulder and winding her arm around his waist. She had been woken by the morning light from the balcony windows, the Costa Rican summer sunrise making it hard for her to fall back asleep. Her thoughts had begun to break through her sleepy haze. Klaus was almost always awake by the crack of dawn if they weren't only just coming home or going to sleep. As usual, he hadn't disturbed her even as she had lain awake with her mind racing.

His hold on her simply tightened, the hand that held her close to him stroking her back absentmindedly. "Ok."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise at his lack of reaction, Caroline pushed herself up slightly so she could look at him, propping herself on her elbow with a hand on his bare chest. "Wait, that's it?" she asked incredulously.

"What were you expecting, sweetheart?" he replied softly, staring back at her with unguarded eyes (it had taken time before they had become so open for her), mussed hair (courtesy of her fingers) and still sleep-warm (a comfort she adored snuggling up to).

"Something along the lines of a laugh, roll of the eyes and listing all the reasons why us vampires have no need for _such human frivolity_," she mocked in her version of his accent, not having quite mastered it, and jabbed at him with a finger with the last three words. He chuckled, pushing her hair out of her eyes and behind her ears.

"Yes, well, as true as that may be, if you wish to get married, we can get married. Regardless, you will still be mine, as I am yours." Klaus shrugged, fingers gently playing with her hair. The rush his words sent through her, causing the butterflies to flutter in her stomach and her undead heart to race, should be long gone. After the years they had been together, the thought of him living up to his words to be her last love shouldn't make her feel like a teenager, which she guessed she eternally was. Even worse, when she recalled how he confessed to her she was his last too (granted there had only been one before her), her feelings were overwhelming. The confirmation that she finally had someone who wanted nothing or no one else other than her was all she needed.

"Let's do it soon," she insisted, the tips of her fingers subtly fidgeting with his necklaces before hooking around them.

"We can be married by nightfall if you'd like," Klaus murmured.

A grin spread on her lips slowly, thinking through the possibility of her musings becoming reality so soon. She was used to planning and arranging things in advance, but being with Klaus allowed her to let go and be a bit more impromptu, such as this vacation. They had already been down for two weeks, randomly having flown down one evening for some alone time. It was a good thing her friends and mother and his siblings were used to them jetting off spontaneously. With him in New Orleans and her splitting time between the Big Easy and Mystic Falls, time alone together was needed. Though she guessed it was something they would have to get use to. At 28, there wasn't much time left until the residents of Mystic Falls who didn't know about their supernatural community would start questioned why she still looked the same as she had whilst in high school.

"Can we? Like at twilight or something? Down by the gazebo on the beach! I only want it to be a small and simple ceremony. I'll need a dress and most definitely an engagement ring… And wedding bands for us both," Caroline rattled off, excitement overtaking her previous drowsiness as she began to sit up in the middle of their bed, bed covers covering her haphazardly.

"Sounds like you've got this all planned out," Klaus laughed, lounging against the headboard. If she wasn't already singularly focused, there was no doubt she would have taken advantage of his sexy form (not that he would have fought her) there and then.

"I may have been thinking about this for a while," Caroline told him.

It had actually been longer than just a while, more like since they had first gotten together 8 years ago. She knew his superior stance against human traditions so she kept quiet and pushed it to the back of her mind, because at least they were together. She didn't know what had changed and brought the thought up again, but it had been there for at least a few weeks. She had hoped to eventually convince him that perhaps marriage wasn't so useless after all.

"Plus, I managed to plan my wedding to Stefan by, like, lunchtime the day I first saw him. Hadn't even met him yet, so I think I have an advantage here," she added toying with the sheets.

Klaus raised an eyebrow at the information. "Considering that marriage never went forward, thankfully, I reckon you should _perhaps_ alter some of your methods," he told her, pursing his lips. She'd be lying if she said that the small hints of jealousy he was prone to didn't make her smile. Who wouldn't want a man like Niklaus Mikaelson getting possessive over them? Besides, she hated to admit it at times, but she could give as good as she got.

"Already ahead of you there, baby. I asked you, didn't I?" she teased, leaning in to press a kiss to his mouth, pulling back only when she felt his lips curve against hers.

"That you did," he nodded, licking his lips and brushing a hand over her bare knee, sending shivers down her spine. "Would you like me to do anything?"

Shaking her head clear, Caroline grinned and made a mental list of the shops she could recall being in the town center. There wasn't a big collection but there were definitely the ones they would need.

"If you get me a ring, I would be very grateful, because I want an engagement ring even if we're engaged for less than a day. I trust your taste in jewelry. Actually, get the wedding rings too. I'll get the rest," she decided, already knowing what dress she would wear (she had spotted it in a store a few days ago) and the casual smart outfit for him.

"Of course, my love," Klaus replied simply and Caroline began shuffling off the bed. It might have only been 6 in the morning but there was no way she could keep still now. Her mind was already in a whirlwind, planning her very own wedding within the limited amount of time. "Does this mean we're getting up now?" he groaned as she headed towards the bathroom with an extra bounce in her step.

"If we want to be married in 12 hours, we are."

* * *

Klaus found her in the bedroom of the beach house later that afternoon, having run the errands she asked of him. He spotted a shirt, formal pants and a suit jacket laying carefully on the bed. From what he could see, there was a zipped up garment bag hanging in the walk in closet. He smiled at the fact that it would contain the dress Caroline intended to wear.

"Hey, did you manage to do everything?" she asked brightly, standing up from the stool in front of the vanity where she had been brushing out her wet hair. There was over an hour until the sun began to set, but Caroline started to get ready if her state of undress (a simple silky robe that left her long, smooth legs bare) was anything to go by.

"Yes love, as I told you not 15 minutes ago when you called and beckoned me," Klaus informed her with a roll of the eyes, gently toeing the sandals she had kicked off and left laying around. Her messiness was an annoyance, having been used to to his own way for over a millennia, but he couldn't say that he didn't welcome her presence in every single way. She often left his bedroom a mess until she developed a bout of stress that resulted in cleaning the room from top to bottom.

"Just making sure, _sheesh_," Caroline huffed, throwing her hairbrush at him. It bounced harmlessly off his chest to join the shoe. Crossing his arms, he eyed both items with a raised eyebrow. "Everything has to be perfect and considering _I_ took care of the rest, _you_ were the only thing stopping it," she pointed out with a finger aimed at him.

"It will be perfect. Mostly because there hasn't been enough time for things to go wrong, nor is there anyone else here to interfere," Klaus informed her with a sly grin. He would be the first to admit how much her little band of friends annoyed the crap out of him, even when they weren't actively trying to kill him. He was sure that if they had been there right then, being the pesky people that they were, there was no way that they could have this wedding in such a short time nor without any issues. Somehow, trouble seemed to follow them even if they weren't doing anything and Klaus, for one, was sick of it. It was bad enough that Caroline was a trouble magnet at times, but he would gladly deal with her. The rest he would gladly end (except for Stefan; he did still have a soft spot for the Ripper).

"Do you think they'll be mad? Everyone back at home? We are kind of eloping," Caroline asked, gnawing on her bottom lip as the thought was only just coming to her. "And I'm not good making rash decisions, you know that. It takes me an hour to pick out my clothes in the morning on most days and that's-"

Klaus cut her off before she could get carried away, reaching out to restrain her flailing arms with a hand on each. "Caroline, calm down. They won't be mad because they have no right to be mad. And if they are then we will tell them that it was better without them here," he told her matter-of-factly.

"That's rude," she glared at him.

"It's also true," he pointed out nonchalantly. Tugging on her, he brought her closer, laying her hands on his chest, covering them with one of his own. "Sweetheart, are you sure about this? If you have any doubts then I won't be offended if you want to postpone or simply back out," Klaus told her, softly caressing the side of her face.

Caroline shook her head at him and smiled. "No, I'm sure. I'm the one who suggested it. Are you sure?"

"I just spent the day buying jewelry and compelling the only man nearby who could officiate our marriage in English without making it public. I also obtained a certificate, as per _your_ request," he pointed out dryly. It had been the first time he had run errands by himself in a long, long time. Without his vampires or hybrids, there were no minions to do his bidding for him. The jewelry part wasn't too much of a hardship, but having to track someone down and compelling them to do exactly what they wanted was not how he imagined spending the day. Nevertheless, the benefits would outweigh the cost of a single day doing her bidding when he was forever tied to the woman in front of him.

"I just thought it would be a nice keepsake. I didn't say you had to _compel_ them," Caroline muttered as her fingers played with the unfastened buttons of his henley.

"I'm sure, my love," he chuckled, tilting her face up with a finger under her chin before leaning in to steal a kiss, followed by a peppering of chaste ones when he couldn't pull himself away.

She pushed him away. "Then go get ready and meet me by the gazebo. It'll take me longer, obviously, but I don't want you to see me in my dress. It's bad luck!" Caroline chastised, stepping back.

"Nonsense, that's a mere superstition from the olden days," Klaus said with a dismissive tone, reaching for her once again only to be disappointed when she slapped his hands away. A small pout formed on his lips, eyes lowering in a stance that usually won her over. However, when she let out a bark of laughter at it, he knew that he wouldn't get this way this time.

"Don't care," she told him with a shake of the head. "Besides doesn't that make you feel more comfortable?"

"Your jokes are getting worse, love," he growled playfully at her teasing about his age, a smile pulling at his lips with her laughter. "I have something I want to do before I go get ready," he added seriously, recalling the reason why he had initially sought her out.

Caroline quirked an eyebrow at him, eyes not so subtly jumping between him and the rather large bed they had shared for the past fortnight. "I don't think we have the time."

"Oh, we would _definitely_ have the time, but that's not what I meant," he teased, causing her to blush faintly and smile sheepishly at her presumptions.

Taking her hand, he led her to sit back down on the stool before kneeling down in front of her on one knee. Klaus licked his lips to hide his smirk when Caroline's eyes widened in surprise, a gasp following when he retrieved the ring box from his jeans' pocket. "I know this is a bit late, but Caroline, will you marry me?"

There was a pause of silence after he opened the box to reveal a diamond solitaire engagement ring. He watched her gaze at it in awe before the smile on her face started to lessen. His confidence began to falter when Caroline's expression became serious. A sudden bout of uncertainty whirled up inside of him.

"I, uh- I mean, well, I dunno…" she stuttered, and for a moment, Klaus almost believed that she had begun to backtrack on her own request to get married. Fortunately for his ego, he caught the glimmer of playfulness in her eyes before the corners of her mouth began to tug upwards slowly.

"_Caroline_," he all but growled out, unimpressed at her games. What else did he expect from her if not to challenge him even when he least expected it? In fact, her delayed response only served to let him know how much he actually wanted to marry her; something he had barely thought about or cared about before that morning.

"Of _course_ I will!" she laughed, pulling her hand out to grip his neck and leaning in to kiss him.

"Sweetheart," he breathed when they broke apart, pressing his forehead to hers to get his bearings straight when she refused to let him go. "Would you like your ring?"

Caroline nodded, pulling away to hold out her left hand expectantly. Klaus gladly plucked the precious piece of jewelry out of its plush pillowing in the box. The ring was more valuable than its cost. It was a sign of his undying love and devotion to this woman who had stolen his heart. He tossed the empty case onto the vanity behind her and slipped the ring onto her finger (a perfect fit in every way possible, if he didn't say so himself.) He brought her hand up to press his lips against it. Caroline gently stroked his jawline before retracting her hand away and holding it up to examine the ring properly. The diamond gleamed in the sunlight filling the room, but Klaus was much more enticed by the pure, unadulterated happiness that graced her features. He would fight for her to look that way every single moment of his existence.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, still mesmerised by the ring. "You didn't have to propose. I am the one who suggested all this in the first place," Caroline added when she shifted her gaze to his.

Klaus smiled softly, placing both his hands upon her bare knees. "Yes I remember, but I know you, Caroline, and I know you would rather have a proposal story to tell over what happened this morning."

"I always knew you were a hopeless romantic," she all but squealed, tugging the hair at his nape to get him up and closer to her. Switching his position to rest on both his knees, he lifted up so he was face to face when he claimed her lips for one final time.

"No such thing," he said before pulling away. "I'm still the King of New Orleans and you're about to become my Queen."

* * *

The sun was almost on the horizon by the time she made it down to the beach. With the excitement of the day (she smiled as she caught sight of her ring once again), Caroline had almost ruined her own wedding by being late. Thankfully, she was an expert on perfection so styling her hair into loose curls with the front pinned back with a diamante slide and applying natural make up took next to no time. No, what had kept her was slipping on the new white lace lingerie she had just bought (which she knew wouldn't last any longer than the wedding night), before stepping into the dress she was getting married in.

All zipped up, she paused in front of the full length mirror to make sure everything was alright when it all caught up to her. The engagement ring on her finger, the simple yet elegant knee length halterneck white dress, the fake bouquet of calla lilies in her hands and her bare feet where she painted her nails silver to match her single drop diamond earrings and tennis bracelet. The only thing missing was the necklace as the final touch. As she closed the clasp behind her neck, pulling out her hair from under it, she realised she was finally, _finally_, a bride. Something she had thought had been lost along with her human life when Katherine killed her.

Caroline Forbes was a fighter and when someone told her she couldn't do something, she managed to do it anyway.

Couldn't survive as a vampire? Look at her now. Couldn't be with Klaus? Actually, yes, she could. Couldn't be a good friend whilst doing so? She had helped both Elena and Bonnie through college whilst graduating top of her class. Couldn't make a long distance relationship work? It seemed to work just fine for them.

Couldn't get married? Well, she'd show them!

After snapping a couple of pictures with her phone to show her friends, she tucked it away. There would be no need for it the rest of the evening. She noted the time glaring brightly back at her on the screen, causing her to curse and do a final sweep of her outfit (perfect), before rushing out towards the beach that was the backyard.

The sand was soft against her feet as she made her way over to the small gazebo not 500 meters away. There, in the middle of it, stood Klaus in the black dress shirt and dark parts. The suit jacket that she had bought to go with it had been forgone, just as she had expected. He looked like the epitome of handsome and rugged all in one.

Caroline noticed the moment he saw her, taking her in as she did him. She noted the way he left the top few buttons of his shirt open (which she appreciated) to reveal the necklaces he never took off. His bare feet were clean of sand (he probably didn't have to rush and take the shortcut she did instead of the boardwalk that led to it). His sleeves were rolled to his elbows and his hands were tucked into his pants' pockets as if he had not been anxiously waiting for her. She could tell by his relieved expression that had not been the case. Had he truly been worried she wouldn't show? Or was he like any other groom who was nervous before his wedding?

Ignoring the celebrant of their wedding for a moment, she accepted Klaus' hand to help her climb the five steps up to him. He led her into the middle of the gazebo without taking his eyes off of her and somehow that expression alone (filled with awe, love and a hint of pride) was enough for her to feel more beautiful than ever before.

"Hi," Caroline whispered, clutching the fake flowers in one hand when he refused to drop the other. The blood was racing in her ears from both the journey she had just made and the excitement of the moment. She wondered if he could hear it too.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Klaus told her in the same low tone, his accent thick in the quiet, sending thrills through her.

"You look just how I imagined you would," she confessed, raking her eyes over him. This was the exact ensemble she had imagined when he had agreed to the wedding that morning in bed.

He chuckled softly, dimples breaking out with the boyish grin he shot her. "I will take that as a compliment."

The sun was gradually lowering behind them as the officiate began the ceremony. Without guests or witnesses, it was short and simple, and if Caroline ever had repeat what was said before the vows, she wouldn't be able to.

She remembered the way Klaus' hand squeezed back when she unintentionally squeezed his at the words 'joining in marriage'.

She remembered the way they glanced at each other (him with a quirked eyebrow and her with her bottom lip between her teeth) when the officiate spoke about an eternal love, fictitious to him, but reality to them.

She remembered the way her heart skipped a beat when it came to the vows. "Do you, Niklaus, take Caroline, to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you, Caroline, take Niklaus, to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she repeated, breaking out in a smile when Klaus did the same, his eyes filled with a look of wonder. Was he still that amazed by the fact that she loved him, wanted him and _needed_ him to the point that she had wanted to officially claim him as hers?

Then again, standing there watching him pull out a pouch from his pocket, wasn't she still that amazed that this man, this worldly, passionate and fearless man, had chosen to love her?

The wedding bands shone against the black pouch as the officiate placed them in his palm. Caroline had to admit she had made the right choice by leaving the jewelry up to Klaus. One was a simple silver coloured band with tiny black stones dotted intermittently along the centre. The other ring had two small bands of white diamonds on either side of black stone flowers fashioned in between with white centres. They both looked extravagant but elegant, perfect for them.

Handing the more feminine ring to Klaus (she doubted he picked out one with flowers for himself), the officiate spoke the words he expected them to repeat whilst exchanging the wedding bands. They hadn't discussed their vows beforehand, but Klaus obviously made arrangements. Caroline was still amazed by the amount of thought that Klaus had clearly put into the small amount of responsibility she had given him.

Klaus took her left hand in his before slipping the ring on and reciting the words. "I give this ring as my gift to you. Wear it and think of me and know that I love you." Like the engagement ring, it was a perfect fit. Only with the promise he made with this ring, speaking the words that she knew he would hold true for as long as she was on this earth, it was much more special.

Caroline took the wedding band meant for Klaus, exchanging it with the flowers she was holding to free up both her hands. She caught the smirk on his face at her actions but she dismissed it with a faux-glare that didn't hold a smidgen of seriousness due to her smile. The ring was heavy and cool in her palm. As she fiddled with it to hold it properly, she managed to catch the calligraphic engraving on the inside with the date. It almost made her want to take hers off to see if it held the same numbering. She knew it would, but simply seeing it made her breath hitch, because, _damn_, she loved this man who somehow managed to take her menial, human request and turn it into the most beautiful wedding she couldn't even organise herself.

"I give this ring as my gift to you. Wear it and think of me and know that I love you," she repeated, taking hold of his left hand in hers and carefully slipping on the ring.

His fingers curled around hers as the officiate spoke the closing words. Their rings were clearly on show for the whole world to see. Her eyes lingered on their joined hands, thoughts running away on how surreal that moment seemed to her and how, though brand new, their rings looked as if they had been a part of them for years.

"...I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiate stated, breaking Caroline out of her thoughts. Averting her gaze to Klaus', she was glad to see that he looked to be in the same predicament. They shared a secret smile, a silent conversation about how they caught the other thinking the same thing, when the officiate spoke the final words. "You may now kiss."

Beneath the twilight skies, just as she had envisioned, they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The rest of eternity had a lot to live up to.

**x**

* * *

_So that's the prologue done! What did you all think? Hope everyone enjoyed it :)_

_Just as an FYI, this fic is set in an universe where Klaus never slaughtered his hybrids, so Kol isn't dead, he never slept with Hayley, there was no baby and I guess Katherine is still a vampire because Silas never rose without the sacrifice of the 12 hybrids._

_I'm thinking of turning this into a collection of snapshots, each chapter portraying a time in their marriage as they live one of their vows. Next would be 'For Better', if people are interested in it._

_Also, many thanks to ssklarolinewrites for motivating me to actually pursue this and write it, and for beta'ing it! You are a star :)_


	2. For Better

Caroline pursed her lips as the zip to her red dress was pulled up and tucked safely under the hem. Staring at her own reflection, she scrutinised every part of her outfit to ensure there was nothing out of place.

"_There_, we're done. Perfect for your homecoming as the new Queen," Rebekah announced with a pat on her shoulder and Caroline caught her eyes in the mirror. They had become close ever since she had started to spend more and more time with Klaus in New Orleans, and now that they were family, their friendship was one of the strongest either had. It was bound to happen. Either that or a cat fight, but considering they had gotten that out of the way in Mystic Falls, Caroline was almost glad that Rebekah was now her closest gal-pal around. Her taste in fashion wasn't atrocious, they both enjoyed shopping and dancing (as well as drinking and the games that that led to), and they had the common factor of Klaus as well as the other two Mikaelson brothers. The boys might wind the two girls up at times but they both gave as good as they got.

"Yeah? You reckon?" she asked, biting her bottom lip before being forced to release it by a whack to her arm. Her painstakingly perfect lipstick was just as exact as it had been when it was fresh, thankfully. She didn't want to know what her sister-in-law would do to her if it wasn't.

"Are you doubting my hard work? Did I _not_ just spend the last two hours doing your hair and makeup? And spend the last two _weeks_ help get your dress and accessories together?" Rebekah reprimanded pointedly. "I'm nothing if not thorough." Caroline smiled softly and nodded in concurrence.

To say that she was a bit nervous about this so called 'ball' was an understatement. They had all tried to placate her with the assurances that it wouldn't be anything different to what she was use to, and though she had outwardly agreed, inwardly she was still in sheer panic mode. It was one thing to be Miss Mystic Falls; a whole another to be Queen of a supernatural realm.

Sighing, Caroline took in her beautifully styled hair as well as the smokey makeup look she had applied. A simple diamond drop necklace on a silver chain adorned her collarbone; the same she had worn to her wedding. Her favourite bracelet from Klaus was on her wrist and along with her compulsory daylight ring, she wore her engagement and wedding rings. She hadn't wanted to go over the top (turning down the tiara Rebekah had suggested, much to the latter's disappointment) but she still managed to feel extraordinary.

"Sorry, Bekah, you're right. I look amazing," she smiled, happy to see it reciprocated broadly back at her from not only Rebekah but also the man who she spotted entering the bedroom.

"Indeed you do," Klaus' deep familiar voice broke into the room, making her falter when she caught his eyes as she turned around. "Sister dear, mind if I have a moment alone with Caroline?" It might have been voiced as a question but all three of them knew there was only one viable answer.

"As long as it's just a moment. I've spent way too long for either one of you to mess this up," Rebekah warned them, walking away briskly. "Now I must go and make sure I don't upstage the guest of honour."

Caroline barely heard the door click behind the other blonde. Klaus' eyes were unashamedly roaming her body, that boyish smile of his pulling at his lips as he slowly stepped closer to her. "You look absolutely _ravishing_, sweetheart," he told her when he made it back to her gaze.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she retorted with her own trademark killer smile as she took in his dark suit with a white shirt and a smooth black tie. It was simple, sophisticated and sexy. He grinned at her compliment, taking that final step up to her so he could reach out to grip her waist. However, she had seen his movement coming and having experienced it many times before, she knew what would follow. Swiftly, she stepped back, slapped away his hands and held up a finger warningly. "Don't. Rebekah will kill us if we even _think_ about it."

Klaus seemed to contemplate her words, wondering whether his sister's wrath would be worth even a simple kiss or if it was simply better to wait. Caroline had no objections to a brief kiss, maybe some handsy actions and wandering lips, but if the mere thought of it made her all hot and bothered then the real thing would be much worse. And as she had said, Rebekah had indeed spent a long time on her preparations that Caroline didn't have the heart to go against her. She also didn't have the time nor the ability to fix herself up again after.

"Very well. I guess it will have to wait until later tonight," Klaus sighed when she moved away after making her decision and going over to her dressing table where she picked up the earrings that matched her bracelet and put them on with extra care.

Her eyes trailed away from the mirror on the vanity to the plastic and fluffy silver and purple tiara she had been given on her 18th birthday by her friends that hung off the edge of it. It brought back the bittersweet memories of the day; her friends giving her something she never thought she could ever have (being stuck in a filler year wasn't her favourite part of being a vampire) to Klaus healing her in her bedroom after he had compelled Tyler to bite her. Bygones were bygones in her mind, but it didn't mean that she forgot. Instead she reveled in fact that the man she had met that night was the same man she had married, fulfilling his promise to show her the wonders of the world at her request, no matter what they might be.

Yet, there was still so much to see. So much to experience, so much to learn.

But here she was, taking another step in the right direction in doing so. She had been a human, vampire, student, teenager, cheerleader, organiser and winner. Those roles she could fulfil easily. Being a wife, especially to a man like Klaus, was easy enough (it was no different to being his girlfriend). But being a queen? A ruler of an empire? _His_ empire? That was something she didn't think she had the skill set for.

"Something wrong, Caroline?" Klaus' question broke through her thoughts. Mentally shaking her head, she caught his eye in the reflection of the mirror.

"How do I do this?" she asked simply, watching his features morph into confusion. Turning to face him, she leant back against the table as he pushed off one of the corner posts of their bed that he had been casually resting against. "Be a queen. Rule a city with the likes of your family. You're all a thousand years old and I only have a couple of decades under my belt. Most, if not _all_, of these people are going to be older than me."

"And that means nothing," Klaus stated without missing a beat. His tone was confident and fierce to the point where Caroline found herself trusting his words without a second thought. That was how you be a leader; by being certain and instilling belief in everyone with a simple string of words. "You are a queen in your own right. You have the strength, fairness and _goodness_ in you that will gain their respect and loyalty in a way that we never can. I will rule this city, but you my love, you will be the Queen of the people and they will proudly let you."

His words hit her hard because how could she deny them? She prided herself on her strength, both physical and psychological. Without it, there was no way she could have kept up with Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelsons. Her fairness came with the empath in her, not being able to see anyone get hurt regardless of what they had done. Whether she fought for the underdog or sided with the powerful, but she always tried to keep peace among everyone as much as she could. And her goodness, as he put it, went hand in hand with her humanity; neither she was keen to let go.

But as true as his words may be, Caroline managed to find the loophole she had worried about. "What if they don't? What if they don't see that and they hate me or think I'm too weak or too young?"

"You will _make_ them see it. That is what tonight is for," he assured her, laying his hands on her upper arms once he got close enough. Needing his supporting words, she didn't push him away this time.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she shook her head gently."_How?_" she asked quietly.

Try as she might, she couldn't come up with the answer to that question herself. How exactly did a baby vampire (in comparison to them) make beings older than her do _anything_? She had already met some of them and if it hadn't been for the fact that she was with Klaus, they would have taken her down the second she had scrunched up her nose at the sight of them publicly feeding off a human.

"Just be yourself. Be confident and show them that you know your place among them as they should know theirs," Klaus explained, an encouraging smile on his lips. He moved his hands to either side of her neck, thumbs lightly grazing her jaw in a way that sent pleasant shocks down her spine and through her veins. She tilted her head up to meet his eyes when he nudged her gently. "Do not make yourself uncomfortable, Caroline. Do only what _you_ want. We do not bend to the wills of others, nor do we have to explain ourselves to them."

Nodding at his instructions, she smiled when she brought up her hands to rest on his forearms, catching the glint of light that reflected off her diamond ring. "You do for me," she teased, referring to the many times he had done as she had asked, be it getting married, taking her to destinations unknown or or letting her influence his decisions regarding the city. He might be a great leader but he could still be ruthless.

"A king only answers to his queen," Klaus merely said. Caroline allowed her eyes to drift close when he pressed his lips to her forehead, taking strength and comfort from the gesture. Pulling back, he brushed her hair soothingly away from her face without messing up her styling (he had had enough lectures about how and when he was allowed to do certain things or play with her hair). "Tonight is for you, my love, and I assure you, you will be a true queen by the end of it. I can see it already."

* * *

To say the party was lavish would have been an understatement. Everywhere Caroline looked there were twinkling lights, luscious materials and gems hanging off all surfaces. Champagne glittered with flecks of gold was served endlessly in crystal flutes; the majority mixed with blood for the vampire guests. Though the guest list had been small and limited to the most affluent people from the supernatural and human world alike, Caroline had spotted and spoken to many guests whom she knew weren't in such a position of power. She had been happy to see some of them (such as the hybrids and vampires that formed Klaus' personal army) and relax with them for a while. By joining them, she was able to leave Klaus' side, allowing him to continue schmoozing whilst she took a break from pretending to care about some of the things they spoke of.

However, others (such as Camille, for example), she hadn't been happy to see at all. The blonde bartender was nothing more than an acquaintance of theirs. The only relationship they had with her was that she was human and had a major influence on her uncle, the local church minister.

"Why is _she_ here?" Caroline had questioned Rebekah as she had handed her another flute of blood champagne.

"I personally invited her. I just thought that she might enjoy it. Besides, you know I can't ever resist the urge to knock her down a couple of pegs whenever I can. The fact that its your homecoming ball as Queen is a mere coincidence," she confided in her, sipping her own champagne nonchalantly as they both watched the human in question. Caroline had tried to look appalled at the statement but all she could do was smirk into her drink after clinking her glass with her new sister-in-law's.

Though their voices had been hushed, it was obvious that Klaus had been keeping an ear out for her and picked up on their conversation. Winking at him, Caroline raised her glass up at him when he threw her an amused look from across the room.

The evening had passed as she shared a brief dance with a few different men. Whoever had been brave enough to ask for her hand with Klaus within hearing distance (which was anywhere for the hybrid in the open courtyard they were in) hadn't been brave enough to dance with her for longer than a couple of minutes. They had only taken the time to congratulate her on her marriage, her new place in society and to pledge their allegiance and offer their assistance if they ever needed it. It had left her slightly astonished at first, merely smiling and thanking them before becoming comfortable enough to carry a much more acceptable conversation after the second guy did the same.

Now, Caroline relaxed in the comfortable silence she shared with Elijah as they danced to the live band. It gave her enough time to gather her thoughts and simply _breathe_.

"How are you doing?" Elijah asked, obviously having heard her deep, calming sigh.

Chuckling quietly, she darted her eyes around the room once again before meeting his. "Saying that I'm waiting to wake up from this dream might sum it up."

"Yes, well, you know what my brother is like when it comes to you, and once Rebekah catches onto an idea for a party she can be rather... _extravagant_," he replied in amusement, picking his words carefully.

Caroline shook her head at the smile that played on his lips because she had experienced firsthand just how far Elijah would go for his little siblings. He had been the only one who had indulged Rebekah when she spoke endlessly about the plans, and the only one who didn't make excuses when asked for opinions. Even Caroline had been guilty of both. Klaus barely lifted two fingers after announcing that they would throw a ball for Caroline and gave full rein to Rebekah, whereas Kol had simply avoided his sister by either playing deaf to her words or physically staying away.

"I like it. Its the kind of party I only _wish_ I could throw," she shrugged. The little attention to details that showed off both their wealth and power were so casually and elegantly done, that Caroline was astonished that it could be portrayed in such a way. Even after all the years and events she had planned, she still learnt something new. Then again, Rebekah had years on her.

"A queen can do as much as her heart desires," he informed her in his usual manner, mixing his words with vagueness and a lesson to be learnt.

She scoffed at the idea of throwing endless parties just to satisfy her organising needs. However this was the French Quarter where the nights were never quiet and the mornings always smelt of lemon cleanse. Somehow she imagined her kind of events were way too formal for the main source of entertainment that locals and tourists alike were use to. "I don't think Klaus would like me overruling his city like that."

"Its our city, Caroline. _All_ of ours. Niklaus is merely the King by default," he pointed out with a raised brow that was followed by a soft smile. "If you want to throw parties, throw parties. Besides I'm sure he wouldn't be able to tell you 'no'."

"I plan on testing that theory out. As great as New Orleans is, it could be better," she told him with no space for argument. Ever since they had returned from Costa Rica a fortnight ago, her mind been abuzz about both tonight and what the days after it would hold for her. She had never been to New Orleans as anything but a tourist for years, visiting her boyfriend intermittently when the distance became too much. But now she was a resident, and not just that but someone in the position of power. Klaus might have spoken to her about his plans when she had asked about them before, but now she could have her own plans. Plans which grew with everyday. "What we need is something that will allow everyone to relax, mingle and forget that they hate each other because of what they are. You guys can try and continuously negotiate peace talks, but I believe showing them how much more fun they could have if they let all this trivial hate go might work best."

Elijah laughed heartily at the end of her rambling. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was laughing at her, but that wasn't the kind of man he was. Caroline knew that her ideas were for a perfect world with simplistic views of how things worked. There were deeper political issues between the different species which roamed their city but that didn't mean a bit of fun wasn't allowed to help placate them.

"This is why you are made for this family, Caroline. You have fresh ideas; a different and much more pacifying perspective. The best choice Niklaus made was choosing to love you," he said, much to her shock. When they had announced their marriage, surprise was the first thing on his siblings' faces. Eventually it turned into teasing, but this was the first time she heard someone tell her that she was perfect for them, the family and the city.

Mentally shaking away her shock, she plastered on her full smile. "I like to believe the same thing," she said with haughtiness, knowing Klaus would have caught the end of their conversation as he approached them through the crowds.

"May I cut in, brother? I would like a dance with my wife _sometime_ this evening," he said somewhat casually but they both knew it wasn't a true request. Hearing the word 'wife' in respect to her slipping from her lips still made her stomach flip and heart beat faster in pure joy. If either of the brothers had heard it, they didn't make it known.

"She's all yours," Elijah conceded, letting go of her with one final squeeze of her hand. "Its been a pleasure."

"All mine, Elijah," she replied, copying his manner and accent to which she did get a reaction to. A wry smile pulled at the eldest Mickelson before taking a step back and walking away.

Klaus took her hand quickly, wrapping this other around her waist to pull her tightly into him. If she could get her brain to work, she would realise that they were too close for it to be socially acceptable at a formal ball like theirs. But the feel of him next to her, the heat penetrating through their clothes (and her skin it seemed) to warm her body from her toes all the way to the ends of her hair was enough to keep her from pushing him away. It wasn't until she was back in his arms that she realised how tense she had been without him there. Had it been so obvious to the others she had danced with all night? She hoped not. That was not an image she wanted to portray; a woman who couldn't handle herself around others. A woman who was dependant on her husband to keep her safe. Though she knew that keeping her safe was Klaus' default setting, she was proud enough of the fact that she was still an independent woman who could look after herself. She didn't need the King to be her saviour.

"You know there's one thing I don't get," Caroline suddenly said, breaking out of her own thoughts.

"What's that?" Klaus asked, eyes meeting hers.

"If you truly _are_ the King, then where are your crown, staff and robes?" she questioned in the most earnest tone she could muster. It took all of her strength not to giggle or to break eye contact with him at his surprised reaction. The question had actually been playing on her mind for a few years but she had never managed to bring it up, either forgetting it or being distracted by something else.

"Safely tucked away somewhere in Europe," he replied after a moment, and if it wasn't for the light mirth playing in his eyes, she would have thought he was being serious. Slapping him gently on the shoulder, she huffed and rolled her eyes when he laughed at her.

"That was supposed to be a joke but now I'm curious. Do I have a crown?" Caroline asked innocently. She could only imagine the vast collection of jewelry and precious stones he had stashed away all over the world. She had seen some of them; the one in Mystic Falls and New Orleans mainly with a couple in South America and one in Greece. The other times she had visited any of his homes, she hadn't found the need (or the time sometimes) to look into it. A crown was something she had never come across however.

"I'm sure we can find you one," Klaus told her easily, as if it was the simplest request in the world. For him, it probably was, she guessed. Even after 8 years together, there was still so much about him that still surprised her. His nonchalance about money and valuable things was just one of them that never ceased to amazed her. Nodding nonetheless, Caroline let her fingers gently play with the soft hair at the nape of his neck, lost in their own little world for the moment. "How are you fitting in as Queen, love? Does the title suit you yet?"

"I don't think it'll ever suit me," she murmured honestly. If hearing the word 'wife' slip out of his mouth was exciting enough, hearing the term 'Queen' in reference to her made her stomach drop. Though he had casually mentioned it over the years, how she would be by his side as Queen when she finally decided to move to New Orleans, it hadn't readied her in any way now she was finally experiencing it.

"I disagree. I believe the people have already accepted you. I haven't heard a murmur that disputes it," Klaus told her with a hint if prude in his tone. It was enough to lift her spirits at the fact that he believed so. Even though she never thought she would need it, being accepted by the people of the city as one of their own, and much more, was a thrilling thought. Somehow it made her feel like less of an outsider if the locals thought of her as their Queen.

_'If'_ being the watchword.

Caroline shook her head at him, smiling softly as she trailed her hand down his neck to rest onto his shoulder. "Maybe that's because they're scared of what'd happen to them if they did?" she suggested rhetorically.

"Unfortunately, even our reputation cannot stop the _foolishness_ of some people. They will say and do what they want," he all but gritted out, voice raising a decibel in what she thought was an open threat to anyone who could hear him. No doubt word would spread from them like wildfire until their guests were all adequately warned once again about what Klaus spoke about. He lowered his tone and pulled her closer so he could speak straight into her ear once they both heard the murmurs reaching the crowds far from them in the centre of the dance floor. "Speaking of, I'm sure you have noticed Marcel's presence as well as some of the vampires he's been flanked with all evening."

Her eyes naturally sought them out; eventually sporting the former ruler of the city at one of the tables in the far corner over Klaus' shoulder. Marcel was indeed surrounded by the same men that he had been with when she has seen him enter. They all looked relaxed and as if they were enjoying themselves. That was suspicious enough.

"They're not here to start something are they?" she questioned worriedly, realising his methods hadn't only been to exert a threat to the guests but also to keep their prying ears busy by creating a distraction.

"I'm not sure my love, but its better to be safe than sorry. I have a few people watching them but please be careful. It seems like we might have a few rebels in our city," Klaus informed her, concern lacing his words. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to see it anyway.

"There will always be rebels," Caroline sighed before tucking her face into his neck when the urge to do so became too much. The mix of his scent with the feel of him against her and his hand gently stroking her fingers as they continued to dance endlessly made her want to simply melt into him. It finally became far too much to resist.

"Well, we'll see how long they last. I will have them bowing down to us soon enough," he said determinedly, and if she could see his face, she had no doubt that there would be a scowl marring his otherwise handsome features as he got lost in deep thought about how he would go about in getting his way.

Chuckling into his skin to dampen the sound, she rolled her eyes this time regardless of no one being able to see it. "Yes, because the great Klaus does not bow down to anyone, correct?" she asked, voice filled with sarcasm, which he purposely ignored.

"No, and none of us should. We bow down to no one and that includes to admitting defeat," he told her pointedly, emphasising it with a low growl that was still too quiet for anyone else to hear above the sounds of the band and the chatter of the guests.

Sighing, she pulled away without losing her footing so she could look at him. "Just promise me you won't start anything unless they make the first move. Don't provoke them. I kind of like the peace the city currently has," she said softly before quirking an eyebrow. "Plus I can't be the 'Queen of the people' if there are no people."

"Not to worry, Caroline; I wouldn't deprive you of such joy," Klaus smirked, though she knew that where she had been joking, he was dead serious. She shook her head at his plans for her, moving with the slow jazz and resting her chin onto his shoulder to be closer to him. Her eyes drifted shut when he pressed his lips to her temple in an elongated kiss. It was sweet and loving; an act that she had become accustomed to associating with comfort (and at times relief or content too) for the both of them. She felt his mouth linger before he finally spoke up. "It wasn't a choice."

"What's that?" Caroline asked, repeating his words from earlier that evening. She might have to put an effort into trying to copy his accent and Elijah's manners, but Klaus had picked up some of her vocabulary easily, if he didn't see them as 'butchering the English language'.

When he didn't reply instantly, she leaned back to catch his eyes, only to see them shine with a mix of fulfillment and adoration. It was an expressive look, especially for a man like Klaus who rarely showed his emotions; not in public and not if it wasn't anger. But seeing it was all because of her made her undead heart jump into her throat.

It wasn't a look that she hadn't seen before; there was a lot about the man she loved that only she got to discover in the sanctuary of their own private space and time. She had the honor that no one else had. She got to know and see the most feared being in existence for what he truly was under all of his bravado, ego and masks. A fierce and loyal lover who would lay the world down at her feet if she asked. Only she could dictate him (and even then it took a lot of debating) but it was their secret that he had kept guarded by keeping how deep his feelings ran for her at bay to those who didn't need to know. She guessed that that was no use now that their marriage was public knowledge and it was clear for everyone to see exactly what she meant to him.

Which was why, in the midst of a crowd of supporters and disloyal rebels alike, the look he gave her went against everything she had come to know of him as the King of New Orleans. And if she wasn't mistaken, he was as affected by it as she was if the sound of his heart beating that one beat quicker than she was use to was any sign.

"What Elijah said earlier; I didn't choose to love you. It happened despite my efforts to resist it. I did, however, choose to accept it," he eventually explained. She knew he hadn't chosen it; the man who had viewed love as a weakness would never have chosen to love someone new after a millenia, let alone a teenage baby vampire from a one pony town that they both called home. He had accepted that he couldn't fight it anymore, and instead, he had tried to win her. But to hear that he had made the conscious _choice_ to choose to love her as opposed to shut it away and lash out when she had repeatedly turned him down was something she could never get over. For once in her life, someone had chosen _her_ and had kept choosing her right until that moment right then. "But I agree that it was the best thing to happen to me. To us and to this city."

Caroline laughed at that. "I don't know about this city yet. Who knows what I might end up doing to it? Pageants every month, balls every weekend," she teased, making him shake his head at her antics. "Being a queen still scares me Klaus, but I promise I won't ruin your kingdom. Or try not to. It'll be easier with you helping me."

"Of course, my love. Whatever you want, whatever you need," he readily agreed, lifting a weight off of her shoulders when she saw just how relieved he seemed to be at her accepting her role in this city.

"You know, I didn't choose to love you either. I just chose to accept it, too. It was the hardest decision I had to make but it was the easiest too, you know?" she asked rhetorically but he gave her a subtle nod of the head to show that he _did_ know. "I've never regretted it though. The moment I chose to be with you, I had already thought through a _thousand_ scenarios without you before deciding that none of them lived up to the future you had painted for me. So far, you have surpassed everything I had expected exponentially."

"You are doing wonders for my ego, sweetheart. I'm tempted to whisk you away back home and finish what I had wanted to start earlier," Klaus murmured sensually as he leant down to brush his lips across her jaw, his hands holding her that infinitesimally bit tighter.

Giggling, she shrugged him away to which he complied. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as his eyes burnt into hers with dark desire. It was all she could do to not drag him to the dark corners and have her wicked way with him.

"Not yet. I don't think we can escape without being noticed right now," she sighed, because as much as she appreciated the homecoming that Rebekah had thrown for her, Klaus' words had ignited a part of her that she had managed to suppress ever since first seeing him in his suit. "Besides, I want to enjoy this as much as possible. I'm a freaking Queen, and once again, the reality is far more thrilling and nerve wracking than I had imagined."

"I'm glad you're finally managing to revel in it," he enticed her with an edge to his words that made her await for more. "It won't always be this glamorous Caroline. You know the lives we lead, and as much as I will try with all my might to protect you from it, being a queen can be tedious and _dangerous_ too."

"I know; you've told me so over the years what being with you meant. But I'm still here because I can handle it. I know who you are and what this city entails of. And you know what kind of person I am, too. I won't back down from a challenge. That's why you love me, right? Because you know what I can handle and what I'm made of," she said determinedly, drumming up her courage and strength as she defended herself. The ball had been on for only a few hours, but in that time Caroline had managed to grow into her new status as Queen. When Klaus had mentioned Marcel, she had known that any fight that might ensue between them would involve her and she'd be damned if she let someone else speak on her behalf. Now she was here (and here to stay), she would play her role and title to the fullest as she had done with everything else in life.

"You were always destined for greatness," Klaus informed her with all the honesty he had in him.

Caroline smiled at him before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. She had always had plans for greatness, even as a human. It was why she had thrown herself into everything. But with Klaus, all the self pity she had felt about losing that life and the goals she could never achieve (marry young, plan numerous events, soccer mom, PTA chair) were replaced with bigger and better goals (see the world, watch everything change, love endlessly, rule a city) that she had an eternal life fulfill.

"I am now," she confirmed, accepting her rightful place by her husband's side regardless of whatever might happen.

In the end, despite their differences and their pasts (one too easy to love and one too easy to hate), they had come together in the same way. Choosing to love Klaus was the best decision she had ever made, and to think, it was only just beginning.

**x**

* * *

_So that's 'For Better' done. Like Klaus said, being a ruler of a city isn't always fun and games, as we'll see in 'For Worse'. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment and let me know! The response to the prologue was amazing. I'm seriously astonished and eternally grateful._

_Many thanks to ssklarolinewrites once again for beta'ing this chapter and her general help all round!_


	3. For Worse

They should have known that things had gone far too smoothly when Marcel and his loyal vampires left the city a few weeks after Caroline began to call it home. At first, whilst he had been there and soon after he had left, they had been vigilant; waiting for some kind of attack, an uprising, a war; all for the prestigious title of King of New Orleans. It had happened before (Klaus had told her the story of how he had taken the throne back) so why not again? But it hadn't. As paranoid and sure as Klaus had been that they wouldn't leave quietly, they had done just that. Yes, that had been suspicious on its own account, but after several months, Caroline, along with Elijah, accepted it had meant things were settling down for them.

Klaus, on the other hand, didn't let it go so easily. If he wasn't actively sending out people to chase down the latest lead on Marcel's whereabouts, he was pondering what his next move could be. As much as she hated this distrustful side of her husband (more because of _how_ and _why_ it had come about), she couldn't blame nor fault him. He had told her that Marcel was doing exactly what he would have done; lead them into a false sense of security, and once they let their guards down, he would strike. Caroline had to admit that it was a cunning plan, one which could work. So she let him follow his own methods for years, and occasionally joined him on the sporadic road trips he'd make to nearby cities to talk to those who actually knew something about Marcel or his small band of men. Nothing useful had ever come out of it, but she had enjoyed the small getaways regardless. She cherished the moments when she could sooth Klaus' anger instead of letting him lash out when he gained nothing new.

After a couple of decades, after the leads had dwindled down and after Klaus refused to chase him anymore, it still lingered in the back of all their minds. Any new supernatural happenings in their city were immediately checked out to make sure it couldn't be linked back to Marcel in any way. Apart from that, however, Caroline barely ever heard the name spoken in their household or out on the streets. The legend of the Old King passed. The stories about how the true King had brought him up before overthrowing him were swapped for stories about how the true King had reclaimed _his_ city and freed the people to make New Orleans the supernatural hub it was now. Though Klaus (and the family by extension) wasn't to be messed with, the safe haven that he had created was one that people spoke of, far and wide.

Four decades after Marcel left New Orleans for once and for all (as it seemed), Klaus confessed to her that sometimes he wished he had simply ended his life to banish the possibility of him returning and to cast him out from his mind. When she had asked what he wished he had done the other times, he simply shook his head and told her that he could have been the best vampire he had in his army. It was only then that she realised that all the chasing and all the obsessing was more than just a way to protect them all. If he had ever found Marcel, she was sure that he would have offered him the same choice; to come with them and be part of their city, or to die.

"It doesn't matter now. If he knows what's best for him, he'll stay away and we'll never see each other again," Klaus dismissed, downing the last of his bourbon and slamming the tumbler down onto the antique wooden coffee table in front of them. He had begun this conversation by telling her that he was closing the chapter on Marcel for good and invited her for a whiskey to celebrate. Throughout their shared drinking hour, he spoke about the past openly and confessed that though he had great reasons to suspect that his former protégé might try to contend with him for the highest position in the supernatural realm, he had also hoped that he would return to help rule with them. But it wasn't meant to be, and as she swallowed the last of the hard liquor, that hope was as gone as their drinks.

Placing her empty glass next to his, Caroline vowed there and then that if Marcel was to ever step one foot back into her city, she herself would make sure it would end in one of the two ways that Klaus had wanted it to the last time. She took to the role of Queen with ease, merely because she hadn't had to change a single thing about herself to do so. The Queen of the People (as she was known) was not a force to be reckoned with. She was loyal, selfless and loving; three traits she had thought to be her weakness as a human when no one gave her the same respect back. But now, she received it endlessly from those who supported them all.

Caroline looked after her own, be it the residents of the New Orleans or her family. The chapter on Marcel might have been closed, but she had kept her promise at the forefront of her mind, not knowing that the choice would never be hers in the end.

* * *

"So, I've been thinking..." Caroline began, resting her cheek on Klaus' shoulder to look at him. Sheer concentration masked his face as he carried on drawing in the sketchpad that laid on the leg that she had wound around his waist from behind. She wasn't quite sure how they had ended up in such a position so late at night, but she wasn't complaining (except for the fact that she would prefer to be _in_ the bed rather than _on_ it). The familiar weight of him against her was a comfort that she rarely got to indulge in.

"Hmm?" Klaus replied, too enthralled by his work. It was yet _another_ sketch of her, but this time it was a perfect capture of a scene on their night out not two hours earlier. Dressed in her little black dress that never seemed to go out of fashion, she had paired it with black stilettos and a red clutch bag. The image he drew was of her at the bar, sipping her Mai Tai as she spoke to her personal hybrid bodyguard (and subsequent close friend), Emmalina. How he managed to capture her so elegantly from a moment that has existed for only a minute, she still had no idea.

"I reckon it's about time you got a new tattoo," she told him casually, continuously carding her fingers through his hair in a subconscious manner.

"I assume you have something in mind, love?" he asked, not even faltering in his sketching to show her the smile that she could see tugging at the corner of his lips.

Sliding her hand down from his hair onto his bare shoulder, she followed the curve of his vest top (why he still chose to wear it to bed, she didn't know) to rest her fingers at the base of his neck. "My name would fit _perfectly_ right here. Maybe preceded with _'Property of'_," she said, thumb brushing over the smooth skin to show exactly where she meant.

"Is that so?" Klaus' words were laced with amusement, as if he was humouring her with a conversation that he found pointless. Caroline, on the other hand, was dead serious (if not about the 'property of', then definitely about her name).

Pressing up against his back so she could peer over his shoulder, she let her hand ghost over his sternum before coming to a stop on his chest, right above the neckline of his top. "Or actually, maybe here. Yeah, here's definitely better. People are more likely to see it," she pointed out. Klaus did tend to wear more button downs and Henley's than what he wore to bed. In fact, in the 50 or so years she had known him, there hadn't been a time when Caroline had seen him out in public in anything less than a standard t-shirt. "What do you think?"

A chuckle left his lips whilst he carried on drawing even as he reached up with his other hand to capture hers and squeeze it gently. "Alright. Right after you do the same for me," he agreed lightly, to which she huffed.

"I guess I could fit it in the same place. Guys do tend to stare at my breasts a lot," she added offhandedly, knowing it'd get a reaction out of him. He didn't let her down; stiffening infinitesimally against her with a low growl leaving his throat through his clenched jaw in a possessive manner that only served to turn her on. "Not a big fan, babe?" she asked saccharinely.

"Of your breasts? I think you know the answer to that, sweetheart," Klaus gritted out, hand sliding away from hers to go back to holding the sketchpad in place. The soft touch of the tips of his fingers against her bare calf sent shivers up her spine. "Of other people looking at what's mine? No."

"Well, that's what the tattoo's for, silly! So people like that new hybrid _wench_ of yours know to back off," Caroline informed him, pressing her chin into his shoulder and lightly slapping him on the chest.

"Ah, so _that's_ where this is all stemming from," he said with a hint of pride lining his tone. Caroline narrowed her eyes at it, pulling away to lean her head back against the headboard of the bed and allowing her arms to drop into their laps. Jealousy wasn't a new aspect of their relationship, but whereas Klaus got fierce (and sometimes murderous), she got spiteful (and perhaps a bit petty). "Firstly, her name is Ava and she knows full well that not only am I spoken for, but I am married to the Queen, who she would not want to cross in any way."

"Damn straight! Hybrid or not, I could take her," she affirmed confidently, poking him in the back with a finger to emphasise her point.

"I'm sure you could, my love" he assured her though they both knew that was a lie. Caroline might have 25 years on the other girl but a hybrid was naturally stronger and faster, no matter how angry she was. "Secondly, she has pledged her allegiance to us so she won't be going against us in any way anytime soon."

Scoffing, she shook her head at his naivety before speaking her mind. "The only thing she wants to be against is _you_ and a _hard surface_."

"Caroline," Klaus admonished warningly, though it was only half hearted.

"I'm just saying," she retorted petulantly.

"And thirdly, when I was talking about tattoos, I meant up here." For the first time that night, he halted his drawing so he could lean back to gently brush his lips against her forehead in a soothing manner; the complete opposite to his possessive words. Pulling away, he caught her eyes over his shoulder, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "However, I wouldn't want to mar your beauty with such a permanent mark upon your face."

She shoved him lightly on the shoulder before falling heavily onto his back when he went back to his art, wrapping her arms around his middle. "Smooth talker," she muttered, nuzzling his neck with peppered kisses that she knew drove him crazy. "There's no need for it anymore, you know? I'm already hopelessly in love with you."

"Nonsense. It's only been a handful of decades and I plan on centuries to come. I need to be worthy and keep you interested somehow," he said so casually that Caroline almost missed the pure unadulterated adoration that shone through. They had been married for over 40 years, and yet, he still found himself unworthy of her. Sometimes, she wished she felt the same only so she could properly show him that it was not true at all. But try as she might, she couldn't, so she settled for telling him over and over again how much she wanted him regardless.

"I'm telling you, that tattoo will work wonders in that case," she said in a singsong voice, straight into his ear before tugging on the lobe with her teeth. It was getting late and there was only two things that she wanted now; him and sleep.

Klaus heaved a sigh, letting it out shakily when she ran a hand under his top and across his abdomen. He let the pencil in his fingers slide onto the sketchpad before closing it and leaving it be momentarily. "How about something on a smaller scale?"

"I'm listening..." she trailed expectantly, looking up at him. Klaus opened his mouth to carry on but before he could form the words, there was a loud knock at the door before it swung open.

"Come in, _please_," Caroline grumbled sarcastically, eyeing the intruder who had interrupted at the most interesting part of their conversation. Kol merely smirked at them from the doorway, obviously having heard the last few exchanges and timing his entrance so that he disturbed them as much as he could. As fun and entertaining the youngest Mikaelson brother could be (Caroline enjoyed his youthfulness the most), he was also the brother that she never wanted when he did such things.

"You know its fair game if the door's unlocked," he shrugged with boyish grin, not even batting an eyelid at their intimate cuddling. Caroline still remembered the time when they would garner strange looks from Klaus' siblings at the littlest shows of affections at the start of their relationship, not being use to seeing their brother being so open with his feelings (or actually _having_ feelings) for most of their lives. Now, they were all use to the small loving gestures that they shared on a daily business, from handholding and curling up on the couch together, to the kisses and flitting but warm touches.

"And yet you still knocked," she grumbled as Klaus began to shift away, taking his sketchpad with him. She allowed her hands to linger by his waist, fingers gripping his top lightly until it slipped out of her reach.

"Force of habit. I didn't want to walk in on anything that might make me want to _gouge_ my eyes out. Again," Kol grimaced, to which Caroline rolled her eyes and settled back against the bed. She wasn't going to be ashamed of the fact that she had a healthy relationship (emotionally, physically and spiritually) with her husband. It had been his own fault for barging into their bedroom without permission.

Before Caroline could remind him of that, Klaus spoke up from where he had settled at the edge of the bed, safely tucking away his work into the bottom drawer of the bedside table. "Something you wanted, Kol?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Elijah's calling a family meeting. He says it's '_of utmost importance_'," Kol recited with haughtiness aimed at his eldest brother and a flourish of the hand.

"We'll be down in a minute," Klaus dismissed whilst Caroline pondered why Elijah would hold a meeting so late at night. None of her ideas were pleasant.

Caught up in her thoughts, she almost missed Klaus heading for the door Kol had left ajar after delivering his message and walking away. "Why was the door unlocked?" Caroline asked with a huff, scrambling off the bed to follow him. She contemplated changing, but if he wasn't going to change out of his top and sweat pants then she couldn't be bothered to either.

"I don't know, love. You came in after me," he replied when she caught up with him halfway down the hall.

"You were in bed before me! How many times do I have to tell you to check?" she chastised, walking briskly when the marble floors burnt cold against her feet.

"Always once more, clearly," Klaus said dryly, guiding her with a hand on the small of her back. They went down the stairs and towards one of the many rooms that made up the downstairs of their home.

"You're not funny," she muttered, tossing him a faux-glare (for which she only received a self satisfying smirk) before eying the door of the room he had led her to. It was one that she had barely been in before.

"I beg to differ," Klaus argued coolly, entering the room. Caroline recognised it immediately. It was sparsely decorated, with a single, though large, window on one side, and a chest that she knew contained various weapons on the other.

Inside, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah were waiting for them. The latter sat in a leather armchair by the window, dressed in her nightwear too and picking at her nails as if she wished she could be anywhere but there. Caroline couldn't blame her. Kol perched on the arm of the chair that his sister sat on, sipping at the glass he had in hand, filled halfway with alcohol. Elijah stood up straight, still in his perfect Italian suit, in front of the two hybrids that she knew as Carl and Ethan in the middle of the room. The man they held onto, however, she did not. And from his bloodied look, it seemed like neither did anyone else.

"Who is this?" Klaus snapped, staring at the unknown man in contempt, a feeling that Caroline shared after interrupting their night.

The hybrids shook the man forcefully at Klaus' words. "We don't know. Him and his friends were provoking us, spewing some nonsense about wanting an audience with the King and Queen," Ethan explained, looking towards Caroline briefly before turning back to his Alpha. Now that they mentioned it, she could see the blood staining the hybrids' clothes too. She had experienced and seen firsthand just how powerful and agile the hybrids were. Klaus trained them to their utmost potential, and that was only after turning willing and strong minded werewolves in the first place. It was amazing they hadn't killed the vampire (she figured out after a moment of listening closely to his lazy undead heartbeat) in an instant.

"Well, looks like you got your wish. What do you want?" Klaus commanded, stepping closer to join his brother by the three men in the middle of the room.

Caroline stood where she was, watching them carefully. The stranger was quiet, but a ghost of smirk played on his lips in a way that made her stomach plunge in anxiety. No one who came looking for them (more specifically Klaus) by fighting with their army and then refused to speak up had good intentions. And no one who came looking for _her_ and then refused to defend themselves had much of a future ahead if Klaus had anything to do with it.

"We don't know yet, brother. He's been trained to fight compulsion," Elijah informed them, exasperation lining his words, but Caroline saw something akin to awe in his features when he raised his eyebrows as he spoke. She copied his action automatically, both impressed and annoyed by the fact that they now had a vampire in their midst who could avoid being compelled. If that didn't spell trouble, she didn't know what did.

Clearly, Klaus thought the same. "Trained by _whom_?" he practically growled, aiming the question at anyone who could answer.

"We don't know. He was with five others. The surviving two won't talk either," Carl told them, anger colouring his words.

"What happened to the other three?" Caroline wondered out loud, though she was sure of what the answer would be.

"We used them as a demonstration of what would happen if they don't cooperate," Carl explained, a mischievous smirk pulling at his mouth at his vague answer. Caroline didn't need nor want the details. There was only one way to extract information from someone who couldn't be compelled, and Klaus had passed on his interrogating skills as much as he had his hybrid ones.

Kol scoffed in the corner of the room, downing the rest of his drink. "Well, that worked well didn't it? Can't you just kill them all and be done with it?" he asked exasperatedly, waving around his glass in sharp movements. To say he wasn't happy with being kept at home that night was an understatement Caroline could understand. Kol was a creature of the night in many different ways.

"I second that," Rebekah announced before standing up and tossing her hair over her shoulders to stare at her eldest two brothers. "I'm also going to bed because I can already predict where this is going and I don't give a single damn about it. Do what you want. Just don't disturb my plans."

As she left the room, feet padding softly against the floors, Caroline couldn't help the envy that surged through her at the thought of her being able to simply leave and go to bed, whereas she was in no doubt that her night wouldn't go back to where it had been heading just 10 minutes earlier.

She had understood that being with Klaus, and marrying him, brought along many other aspects of life that she hadn't had to consider before, and many other responsibilities that she wouldn't have with another man, but she wasn't always pleased by it.

Sometimes, the simple life called to her and she _almost_ missed Mystic Falls. It was only the fact that going back to that life would leave her utterly bored and craving so much more now that she knew what life could offer, that she didn't ask to revert to it (because she knew if she asked, Klaus would grant her wish, even if he had to give up his kingdom). She could live like a queen anywhere, but it was only in New Orleans that she could actually _be_ one, and despite its disadvantages (such as right then), it was a thrilling and active part of her life that she didn't think she could give up.

"Where are the others?" Klaus questioned his hybrids, something Caroline had been wondering as well.

"In the Garden. The others are guarding them, waiting for your instructions on what to do," Carl answered. She noticed Klaus exchange a look with Elijah before walking around the three men that they had been contemplating. Catching his eyes briefly when he looked up at her, Caroline knew instantly what his instructions would be. After so long together, by his side and seeing how he chose to deal with certain issues, she was sure that she could rule the city the exact same way as he did. The only problem was that her own opinions on how to do things contrasted dramatically at times, and something told her that this would be one of them.

"Start draining them until they reach the point of desiccation. If one should die, let it be a lesson," he commanded harshly, jaw set and lips pursed whilst snapping the neck of the vampire with a quick flash of the hands that Caroline almost missed. The hurried movement, the sudden _crack_ that had vibrated around the room and temporarily dead vampire sent a shock through her to the point where she almost gasped. She wasn't sure if she could ever get use to such violence in such an easy manner as it came to Klaus.

"And this one?" Ethan asked, hauling their limp prisoner by the arm in distaste as Carl did the same with the other arm.

"Take him with you," he demanded with a sigh before turning to look at his younger brother and nodding towards the leaving hybrids. "Kol, go with them."

Kol exhaled heavily and dramatically pushing himself up from the arm of the chair. "_Brilliant_. Babysitting," he grumbled, shoving his empty tumbler into Klaus' chest as he passed him by.

Taking the glass in his hand, Klaus placed it onto the ledge of the weapon's chest next to him. "Have some fun with it," he suggested, the sly meaning behind it not lost on anyone.

"Klaus," Caroline said quietly but tensely. Now that the others had left, she could easily tell him what she thought of his methods (again). It was much simpler to go against him and challenge him on his decision without an audience who would, ultimately, always side with their Alpha, King and Sire. Elijah was a neutral person, and someone she found she could count on to be honest, regardless of what Klaus might think.

Klaus turned to her with a placating look, and she knew that _he_ already knew what she was going say from previous experience. His features softened even though his words cut sharp to make his point. "Sweetheart, anyone who learns to resist compulsion and comes here to specifically seek us out aren't here without a plan to harm us. I assure you of that."

Opening her mouth to argue, she stopped herself when she saw Elijah stand straighter in a way that always claimed attention. If Klaus used his reputation to demand it, then Elijah used his nobility to do the same. Only, with the latter, it was more out of respect than fear. And it was that respect that she kept quiet for the time being.

"Niklaus is right, Caroline. Although I don't approve of meaningless murder," he said calmly, shooting a look at his brother to emphasise his words, though Klaus merely rolled his eyes back at him, "we must do what we can to protect ourselves."

"You can't be killed," she contradicted, quirking her eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"But _you_ can," Elijah simply replied, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world (which in their family, it was) and shouldn't be forgotten. Caroline loosened her stance at the words, feeling chastised even though she knew he hadn't meant it that way. It wasn't that she was forgetting that she could be killed, it was hard not to, but she just didn't believe that there would be that great of a threat against her and her alone. Klaus had his enemies, but they had never come after her. Perhaps she had misleadingly gotten too comfortable.

Nodding to Klaus, Elijah offered her a gentle smile in reassurance and squeezed her shoulder as he left the room too. She was sure he would be heading to the Garden as well, keeping an eye on both of his brothers to make sure that they didn't get too carried away with their interrogation. At least, not until they extracted the intel that they needed.

"There will be more," Caroline said, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two of them and reiterating the fact that he couldn't just kill his way out of everything. Sighing, Klaus rubbed his face before nodding. With his hair still slightly damp, and still in his usual sleepwear, he looked almost adorable, and if she wasn't trying to argue with him, she would have dragged him upstairs immediately and had her wicked way with him before he left.

"We will talk about it tomorrow when we have more information," he replied, strategically avoiding her prediction and, ultimately, her argument. It was clever and cunning; something she had come to expect from him when he didn't agree with her but didn't want to talk it out. "I'll have Emmelina here to keep an eye out to make sure things are quiet and you are safe."

Caroline's brow furrowed at the mention of her hybrid friend before realisation dawned in her. "I'm coming with you," she stated determinedly. If he thought that he could dictate her, then he had another think coming.

"You will do no such thing. Stay here and be safe," Klaus all but growled, words forceful and face fixed into a mask that resembled his _'scary Original hybrid' _look, as she liked to call it. It was the look that got things done his way, the one that made him King, the one that demanded obedience.

But Caroline had her own mask. Eyes narrowed, lips pursed and head held up high, she placed a hand on her hip and waved the other between them. The people feared the King was but he had long learned to fear her in this state.

"Like hell I am! They wanted to see us both!" she snapped, reminding him of what Ethan had told them.

"Because they probably have a plan for us both! We can't play into their hands," he fought back. Whereas her voice had risen in volume, his had lowered into a terrifying calm tone. She recognised it as one that would usually spell trouble for the person on the receiving end. It was one step away from the amber eyes making a show and him letting his hybrid side take over. However, it was also the tone that he used when he was trying to make her understand his point of view, when he got frustrated with the fact that she couldn't seem to just agree with what he was saying and thinking.

Sighing, Caroline ran her fingers through her hair, wondering if this was the right battle to fight. She had to choose carefully, especially if they had rebels in their midst. One mistake now, and Klaus would never let her out of his sight again until the city (or even the state) was all clear. But if she laid off for now and played it by ear when they had more info, it might work out in her favour. Besides, now she thought about it, even if she did go with him, there was nothing she could do that three Originals and a handful of hybrids couldn't do already.

Dropping her hands in a sign of surrender, she let out a breath and relaxed. "I don't like being kept out of the loop," she muttered.

"You're not. I'm only trying to keep you safe until we know the true extent of this threat," Klaus assured her, closing the gap between them in three small strides until he was back in her personal space (just how she liked it).

"It's probably nothing. People have asked to see us all the time," Caroline tried to reason, hands coming up to fiddle with the beading of one of his necklaces that were hidden by his vest top.

"You may be right," he submitted, tugging her closer with a hand on her back so he could press his lips to her forehead. "But I still won't risk it."

She sighed in content at the action, tilting her face up to find his mouth with her own for a short, passion filled kiss. It never failed to amaze her how much he could tell her without even speaking a word. A simple kiss was worth more to her than a thousand words at times, and right then she heard and felt it all at once. His love for her, his need to protect her, to keep her safe, his want for her, and his relief at her staying behind. She could only hope that he could feel her love for him and need for him to come back to her in one piece (because being immortal didn't make him invincible) as well.

Breaking apart, Klaus gently ran his hand up and down her spine before wrapping it around her waist as he turned them both towards the door. "C'mon, lets go upstairs. I need to change and you can get some sleep. Rebekah is here and Emmelina will be soon. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Caroline nodded silently, allowing him to guide her back to their room without any further arguments. The conversation wasn't worth rehashing without any new information, and that wouldn't be until the next day. Besides, the idea of sleep sounded pretty good right then.

* * *

"Klaus? Klaus! _Niklaus?!_" Caroline called out aimlessly as she made her way from the bedroom and down the stairs. She knew he was home; the clothes he had changed into the night before had been laying on the chair when she awoke, and Emmalina was nowhere to be found. As a hybrid, she did Klaus' bidding, meaning she wouldn't have left her post from guarding her unless she had been told to do so by the Original hybrid himself. And with what had occurred the night before, he wouldn't have allowed her to leave unless he was nearby.

Her senses led her to the library downstairs, following his scent that she found enticing and comforting at the same time. She could hear the shuffling of footsteps nearing her and her eyes spotted the minimal movements of shadow from the adjoining study.

"Klau-" she began again, this time cut off before she could even finish.

"_Yes_, love, I heard you the first time," Klaus replied dryly, appearing in her line of sight as he joined her in the library.

"Then why didn't you reply?" she shot back grimly, eyeing him in irritation. He was dressed casually, fingers fiddling with his wedding ring (a habit he had picked up over the years) until it drew her attention. Abruptly, he dropped his hands and tucked them into his pockets.

"If you had given me the chance to, I would have," he said exasperatedly. Caroline rolled her eyes, not having anything to say to that, and sat herself down onto one of the luxurious couches that decorated the room.

"Where have you been?" she asked, noticing his lethargic movements when he went to fix himself a drink from the mini bar in the corner of the room. She fought the urge to reprimand him about drinking before 10 in the morning but she figured they had bigger things to discuss right then.

"I was at the Garden, and then Elijah and I had some matters to discuss," he informed her, clearing up her worries. His lethargy was more mental than physical; he clearly had a lot on his mind that he was refusing to share (as he normally did).

"All night?" Caroline questioned. Their bed hadn't been slept in except for her; his side cold and still perfectly made without his presence to mess it up or to attract her over to do it for him. But she still had to ask.

Klaus nodded and came over to perch onto the coffee table in front of her, drink in hand. "Unfortunately so. Seems like we might have a war brewing."

Eyes widening, she sat up straighter at the news. "Are you serious?" she exclaimed in a hushed tone, almost as if saying it out too loud would make it sound less earnest.

Raising an eyebrow, he took a swing of his whiskey, taking his time on swallowing it before speaking. "Wasn't it you who once said that there will always be rebels?" he replied wryly, mimicking her words from four decades earlier at her homecoming ball as they had danced. A smile tugged at her lips at the memory she had long forgotten, but apparently, Klaus hadn't. Then again, after living for over a thousand years, a mere 40 was nothing.

"Is it bad?" Caroline asked, in reference to the uprising they suspected.

"We're not sure yet, love. From what we managed to get last night, this is just the beginning," he explained, placing his glass onto the table next to him before reaching out for one of her hands that were resting on her crossed legs and holding it warmly between his. "I believe this might be a good time for you to perhaps go back home."

Furrowing her brow, Caroline tilted her head in confusion. "I _am_ home."

"I mean, Mystic Falls. Or perhaps somewhere else, wherever you like," Klaus clarified, much to her disgrace. His thumb rubbed circular motions into the back of her hand but she pulled away immediately when she noticed it was an act to make her more agreeable.

"I'm not running away, Klaus!" she informed him, steadily and quietly to get across her message of defiance, before softening slightly. "Not when I know you wouldn't come with me."

"It is only a precaution right now, love. You'd enjoy visiting your friends, wouldn't you? You could go see them all over the world, wherever they might be." Caroline would have laughed if she wasn't still so dumbfounded by the idea of leaving. Klaus never insisted or entertained the thought of her leaving to see the world by herself. It was a promise he had made her, to see the world together, and she made him keep his promises. Even less, he would never allow her to go visit any of her friends without tagging along too (even if he had to leave his city during his favourite times). He always said it was to ensure she stayed out if trouble that the gang did seem to attract when they got together, and though she believed it was true, she was sure he came along just to make sure that she would come back. That they wouldn't entice her into her previous lifestyle and leave behind her people, her royalty, her _husband_, for it.

"No! I'm not leaving. If, and I mean _if_, there is a war coming, then I want to be right here," she told him with finality, watching as his hands curled around the edge of the table he sat on and his eyes narrowed that tiny bit that told her that he was trying to control his anger.

"Its dangerous, Caroline. They'll come straight for you-" he said as though it was fact, words forced out through gritted teeth.

"Let them come! Its my city too. Its _my_ home; _my_ family," she told him passionately, leaving no space for argument. Klaus' jaw twitched as he clenched it harder, but this time, he kept quiet and nodded once. The discussion wasn't over, not yet (Klaus didn't give in that quickly), but he gave them a reprieve to rethink his strategy. She would have to do the same for her argument too, but before they got back into it, she changed the subject. "Where's Em?"

Sighing, he unfurled his fists to take back his drink. "Emmalina requested on going along with her _boyfriend_ when I sent him and a few other hybrids to check out a lead down in Baton Rouge," he answered offhandedly.

Quirking an eyebrow in bewilderment, she crossed her arms and eye him defiantly. "You sent away my favourite hybrid? Right when you think a war is brewing?"

Klaus sighed again, dismissing her statement with a wave of a hand. "I suspect all she would do was worry if I didn't. She wouldn't be much use to me if her mind is off the job. Worry not, they'll be back by late afternoon, nightfall the latest," he shrugged, finishing off his drink. Caroline had to agree with him, and was glad that he had sent her along. Just like all those times when she had accompanied Klaus on his travels to chase up leads on Marcel, it was more for peace of mind rather than gathering information. She could understand that. "I will have Ava on your protection detail until she's back, and perhaps even after."

"I don't think so," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Caroline, this isn't up for discussion," Klaus replied strictly. "Until we can eliminate the threat, you know you cannot be left alone. I need to know there's someone there watching you specifically."

Growling deep in her throat in frustration (something she was sure she picked up from the hybrid in front of her), she tossed her head back against the couch and huffed. "Does it have to be her though? I might just kill her," she said, only half kidding.

"She is one of our best. Vigilant, fast and strong. Give her a chance, my love," Klaus told her. Caroline lowered her head to gaze at him irritatedly, not impressed by the amusement that now lined his words.

Pausing, she contemplated the proposition, eyes dueling his in a stare as she tried to read them. His worry and need to protect her was clear to see, but he didn't seem to be hiding anything. There was a hint of hesitation in them too, one she was sure was based on whether she would take his offer or not. If not, Caroline knew the next option would be being under house arrest. That, she couldn't do.

"_Fine_, whatever," she muttered, throwing her hands up in the air.

"And I thought I was your favourite hybrid?" Klaus asked indignantly with a subtle pout that made his mouth look more luscious than normal, and as usual, she couldn't stay mad at that when all she wanted to do was kiss him senseless.

"It alternates between who's doing me the most favours, so at the moment, I hate you both," she replied with a fake smile and cheery tone.

Klaus shook his head at her actions, a smile tugging at his lips momentarily before he put on his serious face once again. "Try and not get into too much trouble today, would you? I know you have plans, I won't keep you from them, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I really wish you'd reconsider leaving the city for while, sweetheart."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Caroline sighed, standing up. She laid her hands on either side of his neck and leant over to press her lips to his. It was chaste and brief, but it was enough right then. "And if you must, send that wereslut of yours to meet me by the square. I have coffee to drink." She figured that if he was letting her call the shots about staying in New Orleans, then the least she could do was to allow one measly hybrid to join her for the day. Patting his cheek affectionately, she strode away.

"Be safe, my love," he called out after her, just as she opened the door.

"You, too," she replied, seeing him nod tersely before the door shut between them and they went about their day separately.

* * *

Curled up under the covers of their bed, Caroline flipped through the worn first edition copy of '_Pride and Prejudice'_. It was a book she could read for the rest of her life, and so far, in her nearly 70 years, she had been doing pretty good on that front. Her eyes glided easily on the pages, picking up words without haven't to finish the sentence to know what would follow. She could indulge herself and immerse into a whole other world. Only now, it wasn't as good as the world that she lived in, unlike when she had first read it as a 16 year old, looking for an escape from a life where she always came second, never felt loved and was damned to live in Elena's shadow forever.

The bedroom door opened slowly as Klaus walked into the dimly lit room, capturing her attention immediately. It wasn't late, but she had been home for a while and in bed for almost two hours, hoping that she would be joined soon. After what happened the night before, she had decided against going out for the evening in hopes of some peace and quiet with her husband. Also, after spending the day being trailed by Ava (who wasn't as bad as Caroline had first thought, which only irritated her more) and then later joined by Emmalina, she needed some alone time.

"You're still awake," he stated rather than asked. She could feel the bed dip after he rounded the bed and placed a hand behind her to lean over, dropping a kiss to her hairline.

"Hmm. Where have you been?" she asked, back to reading again when he left towards the walk-in closet.

"Just talking with some of the vampires. Will you be joining us for the council meeting tomorrow?" Klaus replied, his soft words echoing from deep within the adjoining room.

Caroline finished off the paragraph she was on and closed the book, reaching out to place it on to her bedside table. "Sure. Anything new on the war front?"

"Not yet. Things are rather quiet after last night, though. It might not seem imminent but we will remain vigilant," Klaus answered as he re-entered the bedroom, dressed in his typical bed wear of sweatpants and a vest top, tucking away his necklaces underneath. It was a basic outfit but the man could pull it off, and Caroline was grateful that she was the only one who saw it most nights. "A rebellion doesn't simply dissipate."

Scrunching up her nose at the news, she huffed as he slipped into bed next to her. "Argh, I'm going to kill that homewrecker _she-wolf_ if I have to spend any more time with her. Even Emmelina seems to like her. _Traitor!_ Can she be punished for, like, _treason_ or something? I'm sure my own close friends aren't supposed to actually get along with someone I hate! Its like I have no friends anymo-"

Caroline suddenly broke off. During her rant, she had flailed her arms before one of her hands had landed onto Klaus'. Her fingers had naturally sought out his, turning it around to show his palm before sliding hers against it. But as her fingers started to curl around his, she had brushed his wedding band, twisting it around on purpose to see the diamonds glint in the light. However, what was revealed to be under the ring on the inside of his hand was what had stopped her short. Pushing his ring higher up with both hands now, she pulled it closer to see.

"How long has this been here?!" she exclaimed in a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Klaus flexed his fingers slowly under her touch, the new tattoo having already healed with his supernatural abilities. "I got it earlier this morning," he murmured neutrally, as if the intricately designed letter _'C'_ suddenly marking his skin was nothing out of the ordinary. She could tell it was his own design; she knew his artwork, even if it was small enough to be hidden by a ring.

"You mean early morning, like when you didn't come home?" Caroline corrected him, pursing her lips in annoyance which only made him smile proudly.

"What can I say, people will do anything their King requests of them," he shrugged nonchalantly, watching her (she could feel his eyes on her) even as she watched their hands.

"Request or _threaten_?" she asked skeptically, to which he merely raised an eyebrow and shot her his infuriating all knowing smirk. Huffing, she shook her head and ran her thumb gently over the new ink. She smiled with a sigh at the thought behind it. "I love it."

"I'm glad, sweetheart, because I do believe you said you'd get yours after I got mine," Klaus replied, winding his arm around her waist to pull her flush against his front when she let go of his hand.

Gasping dramatically at his words, she melted into his embrace. "And here I thought you did it to proclaim your everlasting love for me," she murmured seductively, stroking his chest softly as she peered up at him through her lashes.

"I had both intentions," he reasoned with a sultry glance, lowering his forehead to rest against hers.

Caroline giggled at his words, biting her bottom lip before making a confession she hadn't planned on telling him so soon. "I'm gonna let you in on a secret. I hate needles. I have one tattoo and it's enough for this century, at least."

"Then I guess I'm going to have to make you proclaim _your_ everlasting love for me another way." Before she knew it, he had rolled them over so she was trapped under him, pinned to the bed with a hand on her hip and his legs entangled with hers.

"Wasn't asking you to get married enough?" she asked, looping her arms around his neck as he leaned in to nuzzle hers before trailing a tantalising line of featherlight kisses up to the corner of her mouth. He teased her by pulling away when she dove for his lips, foolishly trying a few times to get a taste of him whilst he dodged her easily until she moved her hands to his nape to hold him in place and finally getting her kiss.

Breaking apart, Caroline grinned at the sound of his heart beating just that bit faster and his breath hitching just that tiniest bit. To know she still held such a power over him, the infamous King of New Orleans, was thrilling.

"I was thinking something more recent," he muttered in between sharing short, passionate kisses. "Like," (he ran his hands under her top) "right," (his top joined hers on the floor) "now," (she proclaimed her love for hours afterwards).

* * *

A rustle in the bushes interrupted her precious nap time in the back yard. The always warm New Orleans sun felt good and though she couldn't tan, she still indulged in the habit of laying in the open sun. That was, when she wasn't constantly interrupted. First by Klaus reminding her about the council meeting before he left and then Rebekah asking to borrow a pair of her shoes. Now, by an undetermined source.

Caroline cracked open an eye to see if she could scope out the perpetrator but when she saw nothing, she closed it again to relax. When new hybrids turned for the first time, a small proportion of them ended up near their home, seeking out their Alpha on instinct. They were all calm creatures during these times, never a threat to her even if she was the only normal vampire around the house at most times. Wolves thrived on loyalty, and their human instincts to not harm their Queen ran deep even when they turned.

When the sound occurred again, this time louder and nearer, she sighed and sat up. She wasn't going to be able to rest again until she figured out what it was. Slipping on her sundress and sandals, she made her way to the lawn, following her senses to lead her to whoever (or whatever) was hiding.

In hindsight, Caroline realised she should have called for someone. Emmalina and Ava were both nearby, still on her protection detail. It wasn't like she had a death wish, but after being a vampire for so long, Caroline had come to rely on her senses, and when she figured that there was no one or nothing in the bushes, she was relieved.

Turning around to get back to the house (she would be late for the council meeting if she didn't and Klaus would never let her hear the end of it if she arrived after him), there was a faint sting on her neck, like a pin prick. Before she could raise her hand to find the cause of it, fire burnt through her veins and her limbs became heavy.

_Vervain_. She had experienced it too many times, unfortunately.

Falling to her knees, the last thought that passed through her mind before everything went black was that she really hoped Klaus didn't kill Emmalina for this.

* * *

The moment Klaus stepped into the derelict church that now served as the venue for their council meetings, he knew something was wrong. Not only could he feel it in the dead silence of the air, but deep inside him too. By now, his representatives in the vampire, werewolf and witch realms along with their human counterparts should be seated and awaiting his arrival. More than that, so should have Caroline and her hybrids. That thought worried him the most. She was never late.

Walking into the church, he motioned to his own personal hybrids who formed his army to spread out and search the building (but not before instructing one to go back to the house to find Caroline). Something was going on and he was sure that the plan had been set into motion back when the rogue vampires had turned up in his city only two nights prior.

The church was a beautiful old building, rarely visited due to its proximity to the supernatural community in the French Quarter and the quite rapid turnaround times of those who ran it. There was lore surrounding it, about the devil who ran out every human who had dared to try and tame him. Klaus had chosen that building for their council meetings for that reason alone. A devil who could rule a city and keep a church for himself; that was a reputation he liked to keep up.

By the time he had reached the altar, the other hybrids had all began to congregate back into the main part of the church where the pews once stood. Now there was an empty space.

He sensed them before he saw them. The other vampires who he knew didn't reside in his kingdom, hundreds of them, filling the balcony surrounding them. A smirk played at his lips and he shook his head. He had taken this fight before, by himself against dozens of vampires and had won. This time he had his hybrids. They might be outnumbered but they were ultimately the stronger side.

"I assume you have a leader," he called out before sighing when no one came forth. "Come on, then! What is it that you want?!"

The reply came from the front of the church. "I want what you took from me, Klaus," a strong voice said as they entered through the main doors opposite him.

"Marcel Gerard," Klaus stated coldly. He wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not that his pseudo-son had reappeared in what was once _their_ city. "Back to help your sire, _mate_?" he lightheartedly asked instead with a less than friendly smirk.

"You know that's not an option," Marcel told him, coming to a stop halfway between him and where he had entered. A few of the vampires that had appeared on the balcony joined him, flanking either side and behind their leader in some sort of protection from the hybrids who had slowly started to spread out.

"It could be. Pledge your loyalty and your allegiance, and I'll grant you a pardon for what I _assume_ was a trap," Klaus ridiculed. Eying the men and women who stood by Marcel, he shrugged before addressing them. "All of you."

A low rumble of chuckles sounded from the higher level of the church and Marcel shook his head. "See, we've been talking. All 300 of us. And it seems like we all have something in common."

"Let me guess; I have wronged you or someone you happen to care about in my past," Klaus said dryly, the muscles in his hands tightening with a itch to cause some bodily harm at them turning down his very rare show of mercy. "You're not the only ones. However, you are the slightly more _idiotic_ ones for thinking that you could actually take my city from me."

His words caused a reaction and a vampire (young and naive if he had to guess) jumped down right in front of him. It didn't take Klaus a second's thought to stab his hand through the rebel's ribcage and tear out his heart. Not only did it satisfy his previous desire to hurt someone, but the pin drop silence that followed told him it had made a statement they had not seen before. He was strong, fast and vicious. There were stories which told that, a reputation that preceded him in all supernatural circles, but Klaus knew that until they saw it for themselves, even the wisest beings couldn't begin to imagine just what kind of creature he could be.

"There might be 300 of you, but us hybrids still have the advantage here," he explained, letting the dead heart roll from his hand and drop onto the floor next to the corpse with a dull _thud_. Setting his eyes onto the man opposite him, he let them bore into Marcel's as he spoke very carefully and very menacingly. "Walk away, Marcel. Take your men with you and I can assure you that it won't end in all of your deaths."

Marcel shook his head at the offer, a wry smile tugging at his lips that only fueled Klaus' (so far) tapered rage. "I came into this knowing the risks. I _could_ have approached you quietly, spoken to you, worked my way into your inner circle before taking back what's mine. But I knew you and your paranoia. It's a scheme that you used yourself and you'd notice it coming a mile away." It was the truth. Not only was he paranoid to a fault, but he would have recognised the move as the one he had adopted to win back his kingdom decades ago.

"So you sent some vampires to do your dirty work for you," he supplied for him, clenching his jaw in an attempt to resist simply launching himself and ending this for once and for all. He needed an explanation first. More than that, something at the back of his mind kept nagging him, telling him to hold off until he had the full story. An ambush was far too amateur for someone like Marcel. Klaus had no doubts that he had more cards up his sleeves, and he wanted to know them all before he eliminated him.

"I sent some vampires to get some _intel_ for me," Marcel corrected, but Klaus merely stared, prompting him to carry on with his silence. The other vampire began to pace as he spilt his plans, confidence shining from both his stance and his tone. "Our plan was a 3 day mission; quick and sharp. It gave you less time to prepare. I mean, did you even _suspect_ that this would be an ambush? That all the intel you and your people gathered had been fed from my sources? Now _that_, that had began years ago. I had to make sure that there were leads for you to follow. All that would ultimately lead you to this very moment right _here_."

Marcel stopped with his last word, but Klaus refused to allow him to have the spotlight. Barking out a laugh, deep and ignominiously, he threw out his arms in an open gesture to demonstrate his strength. He had an army but he didn't need them. He didn't need protection nor guarding. He could take an open attack easily, and right then, he was begging for any excuse to slaughter those who stood against him in that church. "I thought I taught you better than this, Marcellus. Didn't you learn from last time that you cannot overpower me? You cannot win!" he yelled, the empty building adding threatening acoustics to his words.

"I learnt alright. I learnt _exactly_ how to overpower you, by using the trick you taught me; use their weaknesses against them. What was it that you use to say?" Marcel paused with a finger pointed at him, a fake look of deep thought on his face. Klaus felt his blood run cold, praying, _begging_, to whichever higher being that might listen to a creature like him that he was wrong, that he was forgetting another phrase he had told Marcel long ago. But all his hopes came crashing down (though his anger burnt up in white hot rage) when two vampires dragged in a drowsy looking Caroline. "'_Love is a vampire's greatest weakness'_, right?"

Eyes flashing yellow, Klaus had to control his instincts to simply lunge forward and rip out the throats and hearts of everyone who dared to keep Caroline away from him. With her eyes barely open, limbs weak by her side and her head held up only out of stubbornness (he could see the strain it took on her strength), he knew she wasn't strong enough to get herself away and out of harm's way. Fury ignited deep within him when he realised that he could _smell_ the vervain from where he was, radiating from the abrasions that refused to heal on the smooth skin of her arms.

"Don't you make the mistake of harming a single hair on her, Marcel. I will have your heart for it," he growled warningly, his gaze never leaving Caroline's. Pain flashed through them but he saw her purse her lips tightly together to keep herself from crying out loud when Marcel brushed one of the open scratches as he took hold of her and placed her in front of him. Her eyes widened slightly when he saw the tip of a wooden stake press against her back (her sheer summer dress would do nothing in terms of protection), and he hoped that she could read him as easily as he could her, and saw that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats at the moment, do you?" Marcel stated. Klaus felt stuck more than ever before. The sound of material tearing was magnified to his senses and he was sure the rest of his hybrids could hear Caroline gritting her teeth together. And yet, until he knew the full plan, there was nothing he could do. Unlike last time, he couldn't jump into the battle head first and know he'd come out on top. There were far more dire consequences now, and for the first time in his thousand plus years, he found himself waiting on others. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Give me what I'm here for, and Caroline will be perfectly unharmed. In fact, I'll even let her stay here in your family home. She'll be under my protection. You and your siblings will be desiccated and buried in the Garden, though."

Quirking an eyebrow, Klaus scowled at the image of living the rest of his life in that prison. "I'm not seeing a benefit there."

"Your wife will live. Isn't that enough?" he replied in exaggerated confusion, because they both knew that in the end, if all else failed, knowing Caroline was still alive _would_ be enough for him. "Because the hard way is that I keep her alive until she has seen the destruction of all those she loves and the death of those she rules over, and then I'll shove this very stake into her heart. Sorry, Caroline," he added quickly as an after thought.

Klaus saw her stand straighter before she opened her mouth, features set determinedly with her expressive and selfless attitude on show. "Don't be. A queen would die for her people," she said confidently, eyes still drilling into his though he chose to ignore the plea that was held within them. He wouldn't let that happen, and by the look of Marcel's smirk, he thought the same.

"Ah, but would your king let you?" Klaus started at the mere thought of it. Ruling New Orleans without Caroline by his side was a future he refused to entertain. He'd slaughter them all (their own people included if he must) if it meant she would still be in the world with him. His silence made his answer known to them all. "Exactly. Now, how about we get things started?"

He saw Caroline's eyes widen in shock as Marcel's hands went up to her neck, and before he could even move, frozen in his state of fear (though he would only show indifference), an unnatural _crack_ echoed through the empty church.

Her lifeless body hitting the ground was the last straw. The choice he had offered Marcel was now off the table for good. There was no chance for reconciliation anymore. No reliving of their good old days, when he had built the city up himself and his son had been his righthand man. Familial ties no longer existed. He was going to _kill_ him with his bare hands before taking out everyone who fought with or for him. With a growl deep in his throat, vibrating through the silent church menacingly, the last sane thought that passed through his mind was that he hoped Caroline would forgive him for the danger he had put her in and for the massacre that was sure would ensue.

* * *

The first thing Caroline registered when she awoke from her temporary death was silence. Then the cold marble that she laid on before her eyes adjusted to the moonlight that barely lit up the room. She could sense that she wasn't alone, and relief (along with a pang of guilt) flowed through her when she saw Ava guarding the door.

Groaning at the _click_ that her neck made, she carefully pushed herself to her feet, grateful to find herself steadily standing. Her sandals had gotten lost somewhere along the way, but the vervain seemed to be out of her system if her healed state was any indication.

"What happened?" she asked the hybrid, eyeing the small room that might have once been part of the living quarters of the church.

"I brought you in here after the fighting began to keep you safe. Emmalina was guarding from the other side," Ava explained softly into the otherwise quiet night. Caroline had no idea how long it had been since she had been sunbathing in the back garden, but something told her that history had been written in the time she had spent unconscious.

Nodding, she squeezed Ava's arm in appreciation for her actions. "Thank you." Caroline made a mental note to somehow make it up to the other woman at some point for all of the bitchiness and remarks she had made behind her back.

The door opened with a gentle _swoosh_, and before she knew it, hands gripped her by the shoulders to hold her in place as Emmalina took her in. Before Caroline could say a word, her friend shook her head ironically and pulled her into a gentle hug that she hadn't realised that she needed.

"You're all gross," Caroline stated after pulling away and taking in Emmalina's form, covered in a splattering of blood and a sheen of sweat.

"You're welcome," she retorted with an eyeroll before adding in a more serious tone, "You should prepare yourself."

Her stomach dropped at the thought of what could be on the other side of the door, but she refused to let her mind go that far. Though she might remind Klaus over and over again he wasn't invincible, he really was immortal, and it had worked in his favour for the past millenium. A few renegade vampires couldn't change that.

The smell of blood hit her first when she strode out of the room with a renewed confidence to simply find her husband and then go on from there. The eerie silence, broken by the softest of movements, told her that the battle was truly over. The fact that her two hybrid guards were there when she woke up told her that they had won, but until she saw it with her own two eyes and felt _him_ with her own two hands, she wouldn't believe it.

Caroline faltered in the shadows of the altar, taking in the scene laid out before her. It was a bloodbath. Crimson coloured almost every surface that wasn't covered by dead vampires, whilst those who survived surveyed the scene from around them. Her eyes sought out Marcel, and a few steps forwards showed him laying where she last remembered him standing.

Her mind whirled as many different emotions and feelings arose within her. Dread, guilt, sadness, _relief, _pride. A hint of jealousy burst through her as her bare feet touched the floor when she climbed down from the alter, slightly affronted by the want and lack of opportunity to have taken part in the battle for her city.

Klaus turned to face her immediately, and she was shocked to see worry in his eyes. They darted around the room rapidly, along the others who were mostly now watching them, and across the dead that littered the room. In an instant, Caroline understood. Death was something she tried to avoid, and had always tried to advocate for his victims before he sentenced them to such fate. But this was a whole other level, a whole other circumstance. There must have been at least 200 dead beings piled around the church; a sight she had never wanted to see; a sight she knew Klaus felt the same way about.

She swallowed back her thoughts, pushing away at the surrealism of the moment that intended to overcome her. There were no words for the situation, nothing except for the fact that out of everything, she was grateful that the man who was making his way over to her was alive.

He was drenched in the blood of others (though she suspected some must have been his which only made her angry) and she fought the urge to recoil away from him. Even as a vampire, she still felt uneasy at so much spilt blood.

It must have shown, however, because with a metre between them, Klaus hesitated before pure unadulterated fear shone on his features. It was enough to keep her frozen in place, dumbfounded, even as he gracefully fell to his knees in front of her. Head bowed, her heart clenched for him and the terror he had just endured.

'_A king only answers to his queen_', he had once told her, but proven multiple times. This time, he was looking to her to repent for the actions he had undertaken. She was lightness and all that was good, or so he kept telling her, and the scene around them, courtesy of his work, was the complete opposite.

Her mind whirled as she struggled to take everything in, from the events that had unfolded to the man in front of her. He sought forgiveness the only way he knew how. Klaus was a man of action rather than words. He'd rather paint than say the words to express his emotions. He'd rather make passionate love to her than to say those three simple words. He'd rather submit on his knees than to say his apologies. But she understood them all the same, if not more.

She was the Queen of the People; she made sure everyone was treated fairly and they could live harmoniously. Violence was not her forte, but that didn't mean she was weak. Her compassion made her strong, and if there was one thing she couldn't stand by and watch, it was allowing the people she loved get hurt. Her moral compass only worked in one direction; protect those closest to her by any means necessary.

Reaching out, she laid a hand on his neck, ignoring the sticky mixture of blood and sweat that covered it and gently tugged him forward. He kept his head down but pressed his forehead to her stomach, the muscles in his body relaxing second by second as they remained in their positions. Any means necessary; exactly what Klaus had done. Forgiveness was redundant; there was no need for an apology in her opinion.

Sounds of shuffling made her look up from where she softly caressed his nape, the other hand resting on his back in a protective gesture. The hybrids followed their leader whilst the remaining rebels pledged their loyalty on their knees; heads bowed and hands limp by their sides.

'_We bow down to no one_', he had once told her. If the King was on his knees, then no one was permitted to be on their feet.

No one except for her.

**x**

* * *

_Did anyone make it to the end? A little angst, because being married to Klaus couldn't be all parties and diamonds. But we'll get back to a bit of the light stuff in the next chapter, 'For Richer'. Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know - I adore every comment left._

_This chapter is dedicated to ssklarolinewrites, my amazing beta (imagining beta'ing 12k words), for her birthday and all of her help.  
_


	4. For Richer

The first time she truly realised the depth of the Mikaelson wealth was less than a year after she married into the family. Sure, she knew they were rich. After a thousand years, it was hard _not_ to be rich in every term of the word. Rich in power, in knowledge, in money. But the latter had never occurred to her because (with the exception of Klaus with her influence) she rarely actually _saw _them pay for anything. Things were either fetched for them or they used compulsion to get what they wanted. Only Rebekah spent actual money on their shopping trips, but even then Caroline was sure it was simply to placate her. Yet, it's not until she crashed Kol's limited edition, less than 3 months' old, black Lamborghini that she had seen the fruit of all their riches.

They had been on their way back from a shopping expedition in Baton Rouge. Caroline had only accompanied him out of sheer curiosity and boredom as Klaus had had hybrid plans that day and his other siblings were elsewhere preoccupied. She had always gotten along well with the youngest brother, though he was hardly ever around long enough for them to spend any quality time together.

After what had been a great day out in the other southern city, filled with fun and laughs (and a lot of shopping), he had insisted she drove back to New Orleans in his precious car. Caroline had snagged the keys out of his hands before he could say another word.

They were halfway back when Kol yawned and remarked on the setting sun. "We'll miss all the fun tonight at home if you don't step on it," he teased her.

"I'm already going as fast as I can," Caroline retorted, eyeing the speedometer, which was pushing 100 mph as it was. Having such a smooth car racing down the roads of Louisiana, trees blurring past as the cool air fanned lightly at her hair through the cracked window, was thrilling. But she was still a sheriff's daughter and speeding had been instilled into her as something bad.

"This car can go faster, and I don't see anyone on the roads," Kol taunted, peering around dramatically before smirking in her direction. "What are you scared of? You're already dead."

"I-" she began before cutting off when she realised that even her mother's teachings had applied to her human life. Her reflexes were quicker now, as was her ability to heal. She was quickly coming to see Kol's point, and unconsciously, began pressing down in the accelerator. "Let's go then."

He had chuckled at her actions and Caroline couldn't help the grin at the sight of the needle rising as they sped down the highway. She wasn't sure if she had ever travelled so fast in a car before. Klaus sped like a maniac, but he was a safe driver (something she was sure was due to her), and she wondered if she had been missing out on something so amazing out of a hint of worry. Once they got home, she'd let him know, she resolved. There would be no more 'safe' driving. She wanted more of this hurtling down a road. Maybe she'd grab Rebekah one day and go wild in her open top vintage car, too.

Before she could even contemplate how Klaus would take it, headlights shone in her eyes and out reflex, Caroline slammed onto the brakes and turned right. She vaguely heard Kol curse under his breath as they crashed through the wooded area next to the interstate, the car failing to stop until it hit a tree head-on 100 feet down the hill.

Groaning, Caroline straightened her neck with some effort, willing the dull ache to go away. If she was human, she was sure it would have been broken. The smell of blood penetrated through her dizzy mind first, grounding her with instinctive actions to find the cause of said bleeding and to stem it.

Looking over to Kol, she swept her eyes over his form, making sure he was ok. Apart from a dislocated shoulder and a piece of a branch through his thigh, he was fine.

Caroline stopped when she saw his eyebrow rise when he took her in too, pausing at her stomach, which slowly began to ache as the adrenaline within her ebbed away. Glancing down, she almost sighed in resignation at the sight of glass penetrating into her. It wasn't too deep, but it was big, and she ended up cutting her fingers too when she pulled it out.

"Ouch," she murmured, dropping the bloodied shard onto the floor next to her before tugging her seat belt away. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, darling," Kol brushed off easily, having fixed himself too. "This car is another matter though."

"Sorry," Caroline murmured abashedly, copying him in shoving open her door. The ground was wet and uneven, and it took a few steps before she could balance herself steadily on it.

"Don't worry about it," he remarked, joining her by the driver's side of the car and surveying the damage with her. To say it was a complete write-off was putting it nicely. "At least we're fine. I doubt Nik would stick with a dagger when he's got the white oak stake."

Caroline rolled her eyes at his casualness about such a dire matter. Though, deep down, a gnawing in her told her he was right. It had been her own fault, but Klaus would never see it that way. If anything had happened to her, Kol would have had to answer for it.

"Right, let's get going. If we run, we can still make it home within the hour," he announced, brushing away the last of the dirt on his jacket before running a hand through his disheveled hair. Unconsciously, Caroline did the same; patting down her curls in hopes that it would tame it.

"What about the car?" she asked as they eyed out a path back up to the road.

"Get one of your minions to deal with it later," Kol laughed before beginning up the hill.

They had taken a few steps away when a thought hit her and she suddenly stopped. "Wait! Our shopping," she exclaimed, making her way back to the car. Just because the vehicle was a lost cause didn't mean the stuff they had bought was too. In fact, her purse was in the back seat and she didn't want to leave it behind for anyone to find.

"Great. Baggage," Kol grumbled even as he dutifully took some of the bags that she handed him. Hitching her handbag onto her shoulder, she picked up the last of the shopping before nodding assertively for him to carry on with their initial journey.

Running at vampire speed all the way home left Caroline breathless, but in a good way. The adrenaline that had coursed through her after the crash had come back as the night blurred past her. She followed Kol, not knowing where she was going otherwise, pushing with all of her strength to match his pace. It was only when she stumbled through the door, having overtaken him after he had slowed down at the gates of their home, that she stopped and felt her muscles burn like they hadn't in years.

Giggling loudly at Kol cursing her from outside, she all but froze when Klaus appeared on the staircase in front of her, breath hitching at his intense stare.

"What the _hell_ happened?!" he growled in both concern and anger as he approached her. Caroline dropped the bags as his hands went to the ripped fabric of her top before diving underneath to brush over where her wound had been. She involuntarily sucked in a breath at his warm touch; the calloused fingers against her smooth skin was a feeling that still managed to elicit such a reaction. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she quickly assured him, gripping onto his forearm when his hand retreated out from under her top. "We just had a little accident. Nothing our vampire bodies couldn't handle."

"I could smell your _blood_ from down the street, Caroline. I don't think it was anything _'little'_," Klaus snapped, setting his well-adjusted glare on her.

"Well, the car had a bigger accident than we did," Kol announced as he entered the house, shutting the door softly behind him. "But we came out alive."

Klaus scowled at him and made a move to get at him, but Caroline tightened her hold onto his arm to keep him in place. "Seriously, no big deal. It was kind of fun," she tried to play down, but all it had done was bring his incredulous look to her.

"'Fun'? Caroline, you could have been _killed_, sweetheart," he said in his deadly low and steady voice that left no room for arguments. Not that his baby brother wouldn't try, of course.

"C'mon, Nik. She's a vampire. We're pretty hard to kill," Kol shrugged off, being daring and coming up to stand next to her, dropping the rest of her bags by her side.

"No, _you're_ pretty hard to kill," Klaus retorted, jabbing a finger in his direction. "A road surrounded by trees is a death trap for everyone else, vampires included."

Deciding to stop the argument before it even started (Caroline had long take over the role of peacemaker between the siblings), she sighed heavily and gently swiped her thumb across the taut muscle under her fingers. "Look, we both came out of it ok. Can't we just leave it at that?" she reasoned, tugging on his arm to pull his attention back to her. "Klaus?"

There was a pregnant pause, one in which she was slightly worried he would actually say 'no'. Instead, he exhaled and she could physically feel him having to restrain himself. "You're absolutely fine?" he asked, eyes rounding onto her and she got the feeling that he was searching deep into her soul for the correct answer.

"Perfectly," she supplied for him, smiling softly to add to the comment. It took a moment but Klaus finally nodded, trustingly accepting her words.

"I'm fine too, if anyone cares. Though you do owe me a new car," Kol piped up, grabbing his own bags and making a leave for the stairs. "Either one of you, I'm not fussed."

Laughing, Caroline ran her hands up Klaus' arms to rest upon his shoulders briefly and used them to push herself onto her toes so she could press her mouth to his. "Maybe I'll get one too," she mused when she pulled back.

"Yes, because your experience this time round ended fantastically," Klaus replied sarcastically as he lightly rested his hands onto her hips.

Rolling her eyes, she shoved him gently on the shoulder but kept her smile in place as the excitement about what she had experienced still ran through her. "It was thrilling, Klaus! That adrenaline high, the quick reflexes, the rush of doing something so dangerous-"

"You _would_ know about that, wouldn't you?" he commented slyly, the double entendre fully understood. Caroline had to bite back a grin at the words and fought the pooling pleasure deep in her stomach.

"I could always know some more..." she replied seductively. Klaus grabbed her around the waist and had her in their room before she could even blink, her shopping long forgotten.

A week later, a black car very similar to the one she destroyed stood in their driveway, with a matching one in white next to it for her.

* * *

Caroline inhaled the crisp, winter London air from the balcony of their Knightsbridge penthouse. Overlooking Hyde Park, she smiled softly to herself as she watched the bright lights of the Winter Wonderland carnival shine, dazzling against the darkened evening.

Klaus had stuck to his promise to show her everything the world had to offer. From short weekend breaks in the Caribbean to months away on a tour of the Asian continent, he made sure she saw and experienced everything in its purest and most beautiful form.

They always traveled in style. On roadtrips, they'd have one of his extravagant cars (which she convinced him to let her drive every once in a while). Occasionally, they'd ride on a motorbike. The first time she had seen Klaus on one, with his standard dark outfit and shades to finish the look, she had fallen deeper in _lust _with him.

They utilised the first class cabins in the international trains to the fullest, and even more so if they were sleeper trains (especially the ones on mainland Europe). She kept his mind preoccupied when they travelled by boat (as per her wishes to see what it was like), stopping him from going on a bloodied rampage either out of cabin fever or simple irritation at the slow pace.

But mostly, he would whisk her away in their private plane. Not the family's, but _theirs_ specifically. And boy, was she glad for that. Caroline wasn't sure if she could ever meet his siblings' eyes if they were to ever accompany them on the jet. As a couple, married and before, they had done a lot of _couple-y_ things on the plane. Though it had first started off as a way to calm her down and take her mind off of flying (she had never even been out of the Mystic Falls area before she left for college), their trysts had become almost a ritual. From joining the mile high club (as well as the 'wheels up' and 'on the tarmac' clubs), to balancing precariously on the bike seat as he made her see metaphorical stars along with the real ones, the journeys were just as exciting and magical as the rest of the trip.

The luxury extended to their accommodation. No matter where they were or how short notice it was, there was always a spectacular house, villa or penthouse awaiting them with the most breathtaking views. Caroline personally loved the fact that the Mikaelsons owned most of their lodgings, allowing her to make it her home with a long-term plan. She'd add her own style, move around certain things and usually bring the property into the modern era. Luckily for her, no one else seemed to mind. Elijah was always happy to talk about renovating, Rebekah would gladly accompany her on any shopping trips, Klaus simply allowed her to take over (with an occasional input on anything he felt strongly about) and Kol never cared.

However, their place in London had been decorated and furnished to perfection. The only thing she could do was to add her presence in Klaus' room (now theirs) the first time she had visited. She fell in love with the sleek black glass and leather decor; the monochrome toned rooms and pure white bathrooms; the cherry wooden floors and the lusciously soft carpet like clouds against her bare soles. From the crystal chandeliers to the ceiling to floor windows, there was nothing like this home of theirs.

"Are you ready to leave, love?" Klaus asked from behind her. Turning slowly, she smiled at the sight that he presented. Dressed in a suit (including a tie this time), he waited for her by the threshold of the living room balcony with her coat in his hands.

Sighing, Caroline shrugged. "I guess. I wish you'd tell me where we're going so I'd know what to wear," she replied, running a hand over her indigo floor length dress. It had lace sleeves with a sweetheart neckline, and very little work or design on it. Simple but elegant.

"The whole point of a _surprise_, Caroline, is to keep it a secret. You look absolutely gorgeous, however," Klaus told her, eyes unabashedly running from her peep toe silver heels to her curled hair.

"I won't be out of place?" she asked, stepping closer to him and allowing him to help her into her winter coat. Even though the drop in temperature barely affected her, she still had to keep up appearances. Besides, it was never a chore to wear her favourite Dior fur lined coat.

"Impossible," he murmured when she faced him. He swooped in for a chaste kiss before she could even reprimand him, grateful for the invention of smudge proof and transfer free lip-gloss. As great as the light pink glittered on her lips, she doubted it was a look that Klaus would want to pull off.

He ushered her into their private elevator to take them downstairs, where a town car awaited them. The driver politely opened the door for her, and she slid in first. By the time Klaus had joined her and the car was making its way, Caroline spotted the first flakes of snow for the evening. It still managed to mesmerise her, knowing that when she woke up in the morning, the city would be in a whole other world to what it was now.

The journey was short, made quicker by the banter that they shared in the back seat and Caroline having to slap away Klaus' hand whenever his touch became a tad bit too inappropriate. By the time they pulled up at their destination, the snow was falling steadily and the suspense was killing her. As much as she loved surprises, she still hated not knowing.

The building was Victorian, but the museum it hosted was much older. Caroline had frequented it a couple of times on her visits to London before, usually with Klaus and usually after it was closed to avoid the crowds.

"An art gallery? Isn't this usually where _I_ take _you_?" she joked half-heartedly, accepting his hand as she stepped out of the car. The lights were still on inside and she could hear the murmurings; this wasn't one of their usual visits. He never asked her to dress up for those, either.

"I thought I'd repay the favour," he teased, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and leading them up the stairs into the building.

The atmosphere was sophisticated, with people dressed up to the nines and the smell of champagne and caviar invading her senses immediately. Shedding her coat at the cloakroom, Caroline glanced around as she followed Klaus' lead further into the gallery. However, instead of making their way into the main area where the rest of the crowds seemed to be, he guided her down a dimmed hallway towards a set of secured double doors guarded by two security men.

"I think the exhibition was _that_ way," Caroline pointed out, jerking a thumb over her shoulder before dropping her voice when the two men ahead of them eyed them suspiciously. "I don't think we're meant to be here, babe."

"Its fine, Caroline. We can go where we want," he simply said, confidence exuding from his words and posture as he merely nodded at the guards and the doors were opened for them. She pursed her lips at the smug smirk that pulled at his mouth. "I just want to show you something first," he added, coming to a stop in front of a piece of art that was currently covered by a shroud of cloth. Without a word, he left her side to step up to the work and grab at the corner of the cover.

"Wha-?" she stopped abruptly when Klaus unveiled the artwork. Eyes widening, Caroline gasped and exploded in shock. "Oh, _my god_. That's mine! That's my painting. But _how_?"

He joined her side to look at the painting from her angle, but she barely noticed, still not taking her sight off the work she hadn't seen for over 5 months. "I had it flown over with us, and then spoke with the curator who is more than happy to put it on display. If you will allow it, of course."

Caroline paused at that, not sure what to make of the situation unraveling in front of her. She could still recall the first day she had began the painting. It had been almost two years ago, and after watching Klaus become so intensely absolved with his artwork for decades, she had decided to try her hand at it. Donning an older top of his and shorts, which she turned into her painting outfit, she had stood in front of a blank canvas ready to begin.

Never been an artist before, she had listened to Klaus when he had told her to start with something she was passionate about. Realising that she couldn't do him such an injustice (because her memory wasn't that great and she doubted he'd be able to pose for her for hours on end), she had settled for her second passion in life; New Orleans. The twilight view of their city was perfectly captured on canvas after many months of hard work and concentration. It was a mix of day and night; light and dark; the human and the supernatural. She'd work on it for continuous hours, taking the image from the windows of Klaus' art studio. As busy as the French Quarter was, its historic significance meant that it barely ever changed.

Caroline had been proud with her end product. She had 'finished' the painting many times before stepping back and frowning, realizing something was off. Back to her mixing palette, she'd conjure up the correct shade of blue or the right hues of red that had been missing. The seventh time she had completed it, it had looked like it had before her and she had smiled in content.

Throughout the process, Klaus has spent many days simply watching her paint (and had his own artwork of her doing so). She knew it was enthralling from the experience, but she knew he did it more than to simply enjoy her. The first few times, after she had chosen her subject and had settled into a routine, he had approached her and tried to subtly help her out. When he began to dictate to her what she should do, Caroline had banished him to the couch. As much as she appreciated that he knew what he was talking about, and was probably right with his suggestions, she couldn't help her neurotic side from making an appearance. This was _her_ project. She might have needed his push in the beginning to decide where to start, but with a game plan in mind, she hadn't wanted any disturbances.

Mentally shaking her head, she turned towards him and waved a hand out at her painting. "On display? _This?_ I don't even want it hanging around in the house. Why would I want it here?" she asked in confusion, furrowing her brow. As proud as she had been of her work, she knew it didn't even begin to compare to anything that Klaus had done. After finishing it, it had sat on the easel for a fortnight before she had tucked it away into the corner of the studio, both to keep it out of sight and to keep it from fading. Art was definitely not her forte, regardless of how much she had enjoyed it. Perhaps in a few centuries she would revisit it.

"I just thought-" Klaus began, suddenly cutting himself off and clearing his throat, but it had been enough for her to catch the flash of hurt that passed through his eyes before he shut it down. Caroline bit her lip at the sharp sting of guilt that hit her stomach, berating herself for being so abrupt and turning down a gift he clearly put much effort into; a gift that was truly surreal. "You know what? Never mind. It was a silly idea. I will have it transported back home again tonight."

Reaching out, she grasped onto his hand when he took a step away, no doubt to cover it back up again. "Klaus, I didn't meant it like that. I just don't understand who would want to see it in a gallery. It's so _amateur_ in comparison to some of the stuff here," she told him honestly, shrugging lightly to play off the insecurity that rose up once again.

He exhaled heavily but softened his features as he returned the grip on his hand with both of his. "Many people would want to see it. Don't sell yourself short, my love. It is a fairly marvelous painting. Fresh and simple, but detailed to a point of perfection."

"Yeah, vampire eyesight and my tendencies to overdo things," Caroline rolled her eyes. Seeing that Klaus wasn't laughing, or even had a ghost of a smile, at her attempt at a joke, she sobered up. Glancing at her landscape of New Orleans, she lowered her voice as she asked shyly, "You really think it's worthy of an art gallery? In London of all places?"

"I do," Klaus reassured her without missing a beat.

Nodding, Caroline sighed and smiled softly. "Ok. But on one condition." He cocked an eyebrow at her in question. "I don't want it to be in my name. Use a pseudonym."

"I'll let them know," he told her, reciprocating her grin as she tugged on his hands to pull him up close to her.

"Thank you. I never thought I'd ever have anything hanging up in a gallery before," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Hey, now we're both recognised artists!"

Klaus laughed but pointedly ignored her last statement (something she filed away to bring up again at another time). "You're welcome, Caroline."

"Did you have to compel them? To have it in their collection?" she question earnestly, squinting her eyes slightly at him, which only made him laugh.

"Not at all, love. I take my art very seriously, you know that. I merely have an interest in this gallery and _may_ have funded several restorations and acquisitions over the decades," he told her, leaving her side to return to the painting and covering it back up again. "But rest assured that the curator is a passionate art expert herself and would not have even considered your piece if she didn't think it was good enough."

"That does make me feel better. At least you didn't just throw money at it until it happened," Caroline said, accepting his hand when he offered it. His fingers slid in between hers and curled around her knuckles possessively, the tips twisting her diamond engagement ring around her finger almost unconsciously and her heart clenched with the reminder of how lucky she truly was.

"I wouldn't have the patience for it sweetheart," he said honestly before tugging her back towards the double doors. "Let's head back to the main event. I believe there was champagne."

* * *

One of the best things about having a thousand year old being as a travel companion (or a companion in life) was that Caroline never got bored. He knew all the best places to visit, and all the stories and history that went with it. If she asked about a certain country or city, they could be there in under 24 hours. But with Klaus, he'd always go that one step further and show her things that only the natives or historians would know. Luckily for her, he was both.

They travelled far and wide. She made him walk the Inca Trail with her to take in the history and the ruins of Machu Picchu, whilst he made her go to many classical music concerts in Vienna until she could recite her favourite on the piano they had in their New Orleans home (after years of practice). The world was literally at her feet when they climbed Ayers Rock in the outback of Australia, and gazed down at Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain. He taught her about architecture at they stood in the Taj Mahal in India, and explained the practicalities behind the Great Wall of China. But her favourite had been exploring the pyramids in Egypt; with every mention of their age, she would smirk amusingly at the fact that they were older than him. It had been the base for endless jokes and teasing, which Klaus took with a roll of the eyes and a light chuckle.

In the end, however, they always found themselves at their villa on a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The island was theirs; it had been ever since Klaus had discovered that there was a private island that could be owned in the archipelago called the '_Caroline Islands_'. He had found it hilarious and called it the perfect reason to invest in their own land. It became theirs within a day, and less than a week later, they had flown out to check it out themselves.

Over the years, Caroline had decorated and personalised the villa, making it their own to the point where she sometimes preferred it to their more permanent home. It overlooked the white sands and crystal blue waters on the north side, whilst on the south, there was a path that led into the thriving greenery. It was peaceful and quiet; their own personal haven for when they needed to escape and had enough time to get away for longer than a couple of days.

"You reckon we'll still be coming here in another 25 years?" Caroline asked as she fell back onto the plush pillows that decorated their bed, the _extremely_ high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets cool against her naked back and flushed body. She squirmed at the fingers that stroked up her leg with a feather-light touch, starting from her ankle all the way up to her hip until she was forced to buck them when the ministrations stopped halfway up her body.

"I can't find a reason why we wouldn't," Klaus replied with a self-satisfying smirk at her reactions. Shaking her head mockingly, she tugged on his shoulder to bring him up to her, pinning her body (and her hips) down with his own as he crawled up to meet her face to face and skin against skin. His mouth brushed against hers, noses bumping and breathing now in sync as she shifted gently to part her legs and cradle him in between them. "Got everything I need, right here."

"_Hmm_, good point," she smiled, capturing his lips with her own as her arms came up to lace around his neck to keep him with her until she was well and truly satisfied. "Happy anniversary, baby," she murmured between two small kisses, pushing back the hair from his forehead when he pulled away slightly so she could see his own downright sinful smile.

"Indeed it is," he muttered whilst following the line of her jaw with his nose and pressing hot kisses to the column of her neck. He knew all of her turn-ons and erogenous zones, and as he sucked and gently nipped at her collar, she groaned at the thought of how he wasn't afraid to use it against her.

Threading a hand into his hair, she scratched at the back of his head softly to reclaim his attention away from her body and back to her face. It was hard to miss the lust that shone in his eyes (she was sure the same was in her own) when she wrapped a leg around his waist and pressed him tighter against her. "I love you, Klaus."

"And I, you," he replied before they succumbed to their passions for the rest of the night once again.

**x**

* * *

_A little bit of indulgence for 'For Richer' hehe. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my fic, and commenting. They really do make my day/week/month! Keep them coming? :)_

_Many thanks to ssklarolinewrites for her beta'ing skills!_


	5. For Poorer

They were at her father's cabin for a short break, just the two of them to get away from their busy lives at the helm of a supernatural city and the craziness of the extended family. It had been a great idea, even if Caroline did say so herself. No minions, no worries, and most of all, no distractions. If the getaway had been her idea, the living like cavemen had been Klaus'. Though, if she was honest, she was pretty sure the cavemen hadn't had electricity or cell phones, or a hair curler for that matter. But without her tablet, internet or a TV, it still felt very ancient to her.

Huffing, Caroline put it out of her mind and focused once again on her hair, twisting the strands around the hot rod to style it before letting the curl go. Letting out another sigh, she picked up another strand and began the process again. Curling her hair had never been a tedious task, but without a hair dryer, she had had to wait for it to dry naturally, and _that_ took far too long. She camped out in the warm bedroom to help speed up the process, messaging Klaus who had been in the kitchen cleaning up after their breakfast he had made them. If she had known that the hybrid was so self-sufficient, she would have utilized his skills much earlier. In the two days that they had been there so far, she had yet to lift a finger.

Reaching for a strand at the back of her head, she tugged it upwards and stretched the hair curler to meet her. It was only when she reached the other side of her face that she realised the curls weren't staying and the curler was more cool than hot. Flinging out a hand to shove the plug back into the socket, Caroline let out a yelp when it zapped her fingers a second before the vanity lights went out.

"Sweetheart?" she heard Klaus call out worriedly as she flipped the light switch on and off a couple of times but to no avail.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she muttered, knowing he could hear her from hallway across the cabin. It didn't stop him from coming to find out what happened though, appearing in the doorway to the ensuite bathroom only seconds later.

His eyes raked her body from top to toe, deciding for himself whether she was 'fine' or not. Caroline ignored him and shook her injured hand to get rid of the tingles she could still somehow feel. "Why did you scream?" he asked, casually leaning against the doorway to both get her attention and to block her way out.

Sighing, she shook the cool hair curler in her hand at the socket where it was still plugged in. "I got an electric shock, which I think knocked out the circuit."

"I told you your silly hair curler would end us all someday, somehow," Klaus teased with a pleased look and that dimpled smile of his that had her biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling back.

Dropping the offensive item, Caroline placed her hands on her hips to regain control of the situation before it turned into an all out mocking about how she had begged him to allow her to bring two luxury items when they had originally agreed on one. "Will you go check on the generator? It should have kicked in by now," she asked him in a false saccharine tone, staring at him with the most innocent look she could conjure up from behind her annoyance and slight amusement.

Klaus merely raised an eyebrow at her, smile still in place as he pushed off the doorjamb and silently did as she had requested. He returned in the time it had taken Caroline to unplug her curler and wrap the cord around the base. If the small frown was anything to go by, she was sure she wasn't going to enjoy what he had found out.

"Well?" she finally asked, propping a hip against the bathroom counter and staring at him expectantly.

"The wires were chewed through. I assume you haven't had anyone check this place over in… I don't know how long," Klaus explained with a shrug, causing her to think deep about it.

Ever since her dad had passed away, the cabin had been used mainly by herself. She frequented it on occasion, either with her friends or with Klaus, but it had been close to 5 years since she had found the time to visit last. Between the travelling, both worldwide and between New Orleans and Mystic Falls, and new responsibilities, the cabin had dropped near to the bottom of the list. Unlike the care that she took with the other properties that she stayed at (which were mainly Klaus' or his siblings'), the cabin was a simple place. It was the one pillar in her life that she could remember from childhood. She had never considered of it needing proper maintenance.

"I- I never thought about it," Caroline admitted sadly, making a mental note to hire a housekeeper for the place once they left. Her mother would never visit, and she wasn't sure the next time she'd be back, but it was the last piece of her father she had, and she had to take care of it before it was too late. "Now what?"

"Now, nothing, love. You fried the circuit and there's no backup," Klaus informed her casually, as if it wasn't much of a big deal; something she thought most definitely differently about.

"Wait. Are you saying we don't have electricity?" she exclaimed suddenly, standing straight and all thoughts about negligence gone. At his simple nod, she gaped at his indifference, internally wondering if he simply didn't understand the true ramifications of what he had discovered. "Klaus! How am I going to finish my hair?" she asked, holding up a limp curl that was slowly losing its fight against her natural waves.

Reaching out to take the strand of hair into his hand, Klaus twirled it around and tugged on it gently, making her scowl. "Looks fine to me," he admitted, letting go and stepping closer to run his fingers through her hair and brush it back from her shoulders.

"You _would_ think so," she retorted, resisting the urge to kiss that stupid smirk that played on his lips in response and changing the subject. "We don't have lights, Klaus! We can't charge our phones, and you love your phone," she pointed out with a poke to the middle of his chest.

"I've barely used my phone since we got here, Caroline," he sighed with a roll of the eyes, a hand coming to press the one that she poked him with flat against his chest. "C'mon, love, think about it, this could be fun. We don't need electricity. Trust me, I spent most of my life living without electricity."

Slipping her hand out from under his, Caroline shook her head and took a step back. "Well, I haven't! I've spent my whole life _with_ electricity, with technology, with _lights,_" she pointed out, hands curling instinctively in a fight or flight manner. She might not be in any danger, but she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body at that moment, and if it was a question of staying or leaving, every cell in her body was telling her to get out.

"We're vampires; we don't need lights," Klaus told her matter-of-factly, but she continued to shake her head, turning away from him to take a couple of steps into the darkened bathroom where very little natural light was able to get in. "You're being overdramatic."

"_Excuse m_e?" she asked, whirling around to face him, eyes narrowed in both disbelief and the dare for him to say it again. Thankfully, he held up his hands in a sign of surrender, though she wasn't impressed with the puppy dog look he had perfected and was currently giving her. Luckily for her, her mood was greater than his charm at that moment and the crisis at hand was far more important. "We're in the middle of nowhere with no electricity, no people nearby, no _anything_. I think I'm being the _appropriate_ amount of dramatic!"

"We have each other," he tried, plastering on a grin that usually soothed her frayed emotions. It helped calm her a bit, but Caroline could still feel the uneasiness and frustration at the fact that their little getaway was now ruined.

"Klaus! Now is not the time for your cheesiness," she huffed, but allowed him to reach out to her and pulled her back towards him with an arm wrapped around her waist. He paused for the moment, lifting his hand to softly caress her jawline before leaning in to kiss her chastely. It was enough to clear her mind for the moment and calmed her down far more than words could. They might be stuck without electricity, but at least she had him there with her.

Pulling away, he skimmed his knuckles down her neck and across her collar to push away her hair once again and leave a trail of goosebumps in his wake. "I saw some candles in the kitchen earlier. We can light them when the sun goes down. We have a cooler with enough blood for a week, which we can put outside to keep cool during the night, and there is wildlife all around us," Klaus reminded her steadily of what she already knew, but had forgotten in her panic. He ducked his head to replace his fingers with his lips, kissing, sucking and nibbling his way up to her ear. "And we have each other. We said we needed this to just be together, and now we can."

A deep lust-filled groan left the back of her throat at the sound of his raspy voice speaking the accented words ever so carefully, with his warm and hard body pressed tightly against hers, reiterating his underlying meaning. No sooner were the words spoken was his mouth getting back to the other talent he had perfected with it; leaving sensuous kisses across her cheek and down her neck.

"You still want to have sex with me, even with my hair like this?" Caroline asked bashfully as his hand found its way under her top to skim over her back tantalisingly, sending bolts of pleasure to all the right places.

"Every husband must make some sacrifices," he mumbled against her skin. She could feel his grin against her shoulder, but she still shoved him away and whacked him on the chest for his comment. "_Oof_, that hurt," he moaned, rubbing the spot she had got him and wincing. However, she could still see the smile struggling to hide behind _his_ dramatics.

"_Please_, I wish it did," she scoffed but allowed him back into her personal space and twisted a hand into the bottom of her t-shirt. He tugged gently, urging her to move with him back into the bedroom but she stayed put with another idea in mind. Fisting her own hand into his shirt, she pulled him with the same force as he had used on her, catching him off guard and making him stumble in his step towards her. "Shower. I can sort my hair out _and_ we can have our fun."

"Your hair is fine, love," Klaus tried again before smiling when she began to roll her eyes at him. "Very well. Who am I to turn down a joint shower?"

* * *

"I await the day when long hair comes back into fashion. I bet you looked so _hot_ with those curls," Caroline mused after he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. She was lazing in bed, stretched out on her stomach to watch him continue to light the few candles he had placed around the bedroom in just a pair of flannel bottoms.

Klaus barked a laugh at her words, shaking his head when she wiggled her eyebrows at him. "_I_ await the day when modesty comes back into fashion," he stated dryly, eying her naked back from where the sheets had slipped down when she had bent her legs to swing them in the air.

"Modesty? _Please_. You'll be waiting a long time for that," she scoffed, slapping the pillow she propped up on. "Us women like our freedom to do as we wish."

"I preferred the Victorian times. Long sleeves and dressed from the chin to toes," he carried on with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips that betrayed his seriousness.

Caroline practically shuddered at the thought of it. "Could you imagine me in one of those dresses? _Ha!_ All I'd have to do to seduce you would be to bare an ankle," she teased, freeing a foot from the sheets and twirling it in the air behind her.

"That's all you have to do now," he agreed, blowing out the matchstick in his hand and using the back of it to tickle the arch of her foot. Squealing, she tried to pull it out of his grip when he replaced the matchstick for his lips.

"Mr Mikaelson! I do believe you agreed an hour of rest," she chastised, burying her face into the pillow when he carried on his ministrations until he reached the back of her knee. A part of her was severely disappointed when he stopped there, though the more rational part of her knew that they needed a break after the several hours they had spent in bed after their shower.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her. "It's not my fault if you keep seducing me. What is a man to do?" he sighed dramatically, a hand automatically going to caress her bare back as she faced him.

The candlelight did wonders for the man_; her_ man. His chiselled jaw was sharp in the dancing flames, whilst the colours of his luscious lips and deep eyes were emphasised as the rest of him was cast in the dim light and shadows. The stubble he hadn't shaved since they had arrived was slightly longer than he usually kept it, but she revelled in the different texture. His mussed hair fell slightly onto his forehead, and as she reached up to push it back, she smiled when he caught her eyes as he turned his head to look at her.

Trailing her hand down, she rearranged the necklaces that gathered at the back of his neck; laying them accordingly on his clavicle and chest, and smoothing a hand over them once before curling her arm back under her.

"Tell me more," she murmured, leaning in to press her lips to the cool skin of his shoulder before pulling back and resting onto the pillow. His fingertips ghosting sensually over her back was enough to put her to sleep, but she fought to stay awake so to enjoy this rare time with him. A time where they were both free from responsibilities and from the restraints of timekeeping.

A frown caused a small ridge to form between his eyebrows but the desire still shone bright in his features. "What about, love? How you keep seducing me, or what I will do about it?"

Rolling her eyes, she huffed as he shifted to curl his arm under his pillow and sent the necklaces askew. "About the past; your past. Like…" she paused, waving a hand in the air as she thought about a question to ask him. "What was it like to travel on boats for days on end?"

"It wasn't that bad, actually. Knowing that I couldn't die certainly helped. It was the only mode of international transport for most of my existence. Plus, you could only have exhilarating expeditions whilst travelling on boats," he explained with a hint of nostalgia Caroline couldn't help catching, though his words struck odd with her.

"Expeditions? You explored with others?" she enquired in disbelief. Of all the stories that she had heard, the only companions that he told her of were his siblings and Stefan.

"Always a tone of surprise," he chided, pursing his lips in annoyance. Caroline threw her head back with a laugh, not able to take his reaction seriously when it started to slowly morph into a pout.

"Oh c'mon, don't pretend you don't get me. You don't really work well with others," she pointed out as gently as she could.

"I do when they have something I want," he reminded her meaningfully; something that she couldn't argue with, which she showed with a tilt of the head.

"So, what was the best expedition you went on?" she asked to carry on with the line of conversation they had been on.

"Now _that's_ a loaded question, sweetheart," Klaus stated with a gleam in his eyes as he became lost in his thoughts. He paused for a second (with his hand stilling on her back for a moment too, much to her disappointment), looking back at the ceiling as he rifled through his memories, and Caroline had to wonder just how much of the past thousand years he actually could recall. Sometimes she couldn't even remember what she had for dinner the night before, let alone what happened a decade earlier. What would she be like in a millenia? "My favourite had to be that first voyage with Captain James Cook to Australia. It was a great adventure."

Eyes lighting up at the new revelation, she pushed herself up onto her elbows in excitement. "I bet! A whole new land, waiting to be explored."

"And a whole new culture of people to feed from. Same blood, but different tang. Much more earthy, the Aboriginals were," he added, a sly smirk slowly forming on his lips as his eyes slid down to meet hers.

"_Klaus!_" Caroline gasped, though she wasn't entirely sure why she was so shocked.

"And the Maori were similar but somehow _sweeter_," he carried on, causing her to bury her face into her pillow for a moment at the new facts that came to light about her explorer of a husband.

"_Seriously?_" she said exasperatedly before looking back at him. "You meet people who haven't had contact with the New World up until then, and all you could think of was to _eat_ them?"

Klaus shrugged nonchalantly at the accusation. "Natural instincts and all, sweetheart. The journey had been long and there were only so many men aboard the vessel that I could feed on before they became suspicious."

Caroline had to admit that he had a point there, but she still narrowed her eyes at him to let him know that he wasn't off the hook for the acts that he had committed centuries earlier. He merely raised an eyebrow at her, flashing her his boyish grin that made her stomach flip and her heart stutter. She shook her head at his deflective methods, jumping when he poked her ribs to make her smile.

Twisting onto her side, she sighed heavily, turning her smile into a wry one. "I wish I could have been there, back in days of long flowing hair and absurd dress senses. It sounds like fun," she commented with melancholy, before scrunching up her nose at the last thing that he had revealed to her. "Not killing the natives, but actually being part of _history_. A lot of your life does."

"Have I upset you, love?" Klaus asked her earnestly, pushing back the hair that had tumbled onto her face over her shoulder and softly stroking her cheek.

"No, of course not," she assured him, taking a hold of his hand and pulling the arm around her waist so she could press up closer to him. "Just… I wish I could have experienced your life with you. Sometimes I- not jealous, but I get envious."

Frowning at her, a look of complete confusion shone on his features at her words. "Of _what_? What is there for you to _possibly_ get envious about?"

Scoffing, Caroline stared at him incredulously because she knew that he genuinely didn't (and couldn't) understand. "About the thousand years you already spent exploring and enjoying life before me. I feel like I barely know you sometimes when I realise I've only known you for a small moment in your life, when you only missed like 18 years of mine."

"And those thousand years are meaningless to me because you weren't there," Klaus replied without missing a beat.

Practically snorting out a laugh, she rubbed her nose against his shoulder and shook her head. "_So_ _cheesy_," she murmured against his skin, hiding the smile that his words had brought to her face. Sometimes his cheesiness was exactly what she needed, and she suspected that he knew it.

"We have the rest of eternity to spend our lives together. Soon enough, you'll notice the signs for when history is in the making and we'll be a part of that too," he explained to her in a hushed tone. She could feel his lips moving against the top of her head, making her eyes drift shut temporarily in the serenity of the moment as she snuggled in closer and used him as her new pillow.

"Hmm, I like this," Caroline sighed contently, curling her leg around one of his so she could align herself with him in a much more comfortable (and subsequently provocative) way. A groan left her lips when he subtly crooked his knee to hit a spot that sent pleasure all the way through her body. His amusement was clear in the silent laughter that rumbled in his chest under her ear. "No, not that, you perv," she chastised with a slap to the abdomen, though she was clearly liking _that_ as well. "_This_. Us talking, being lazy, just spending time together. I think I might like this whole 'no electricity, lets pretend we're poor' thing."

"No-one's pretending they're poor," Klaus said, bemused.

"I am. Everything we own is expensive; my entire wardrobe here is one designer or another. So, pretending we're poor means not wearing those clothes, if you catch my drift," she explained to him, using a practical example as she guided her hand down to the waistband of his pants and hooking a finger under it to tug it down his hip. Before she could get any further, she found herself flat on her back with him hovering not too far over her.

"Poor, you say?" he grinned, and with a flick of the wrist, the sheet that she had been covered with was on the floor next to them. It didn't take her much longer to have his bottoms join it.

* * *

"You know after we've travelled the world, what do we do?" Caroline questioned in between her sips of blood from the bag of _B positive_ in her hands. She was perched on one of the kitchen counters, watching as Klaus cooked them dinner by candlelight. They might not have electricity but they had gas and that was enough to make a basic meal of pasta.

"We start again. By the time you have seen and experienced everything, things will have changed. Empires and monarchs will have fallen and risen, wars will have occurred and history will have been written," he replied passionately with the wisdom that only someone with firsthand knowledge of history would know. "That's the beauty of eternity, Caroline. It might seem like such a long time, but time changes things and it'll keep us occupied until the end."

Pausing, she took a long drag of the blood and pondered his words. "Will it change us?"

"No," came his response without a moment's hesitation, chopping away at the only tomato they had left in the cabin. There was something to be said about watching a man like Niklaus Mikaelson carrying out a domestic (a _human_) act such as cooking. She had to remember to make him cook for her when they got home again and needed an instant turn on.

"You're _that_ certain? No explanation or anything?" she asked in mirth, eyes twinkling in a mix of humour and lust when he glanced up at her after swiping the tomatoes into the simmering store-bought sauce, wiping his hands on the towel next to him.

"I am _that_ certain. It won't change us because we'll be the ones keeping up with the times," he said, coming to stand between her knees and lightly rest his hands on her waist. "I told you, you have to change your perspective when you have lived for so long. Otherwise you'll get left behind."

Nodding, she accepted the peck he graced her lips with, smiling when he backed away to the stove whilst licking the taste of blood from her lips. "What about New Orleans? Will our empire fall too?" she asked in curiosity. It had fallen before, twice, but with no reason to run any longer with Mikael out of the way, and with no-one to claim back the city (wherever Marcel had gone, he had yet to try and play his hand), they had all fallen into a lull of security where New Orleans would always be their home no matter what.

"Our rule has just begun, my love. Unlike the others, there won't be a successor in our case," Klaus stated adamantly, and she found herself agreeing without even thinking.

Sometimes it was hard to argue when he sounded so convinced, but something told her that in this case, his conviction had much more of a basis than many of his other theories and beliefs. For once, his siblings and him were all united in ruling the city. They all had their places and they all actually _enjoyed_ it. Caroline found herself wondering at times whether this had been the longest they had all gotten along with each other since they had been human, but had never voiced it in fears of jinxing it. Instead, she simply revelled in the fact that she had a family who all got along (to certain extents; they were siblings after all and clashes ensued naturally) and made her feel at home.

Shaking herself out of her daze, she slurped the last few drops of her drink before folding the empty blood bag and setting it on the side. "Maybe we can visit outer space one day. Commercial flights to the moon are the latest rave after all," she mentioned casually whilst uncorking the bottle of wine that sat next to her.

"Is that a hint?" Klaus asked her cautiously, looking up at her from the corner of his eyes as he stirred the boiling pasta.

"It's a suggestion..." she added slyly, smiling as innocently as she could.

He chuckled at her actions but nodded nonetheless. "I'll look into it."

* * *

Her eyes shot open into the dead of the night to look at the ceiling, heart pounding just that bit faster in her chest as the remnants of her dream ebbed away along with the feeling of dread that had washed over her. That was until she heard a distant howl and realised how bright the room had become for a home without electricity. An elongated exhale took away the last of her sleep as she concluded that reality had seeped into her subconscious without her knowledge.

Peering out the window, Caroline frowned. "Is it the full moon already?" she asked Klaus, knowing he was awake without having to glance at him. It was a rare occasion where she could hide a bad dream from him. She was as expressive in her sleep as she was awake.

"Seems like it," he murmured back, his warm breath fanning over her jaw and neck from where he was sharing her pillow as his hand began to rub soothing circles under her top on the cool skin of her stomach.

"I didn't know there were so many werewolves around here. I wonder if I ever heard them as a kid? I mean, I probably did. We used to spend whole summers here sometimes, when my mom could get the time off. Yet it never occurred to me that there were suddenly so many more wolves once a month," she rambled in a low voice, arms coming up to flail about as she did so. During her babble, she noted Klaus' sigh in the back of her mind and felt the bed shift as he pushed himself up onto an elbow next to her.

"Considering you can sleep like the dead as a vampire, I'm sure you slept through it as a child," he told her dryly, brushing back her hair from her face and laying it all gently around her shoulders and onto the pillow under her head.

Caroline scoffed at his words. "That's rude! Firstly, I _am_ 'the dead', and secondly, not all of us sleep with an eye and ear open. That's what I have you for, dear husband of mine," she teased with her patent Miss Mystic Falls smile and a pat to his cheek.

"Is that _all_ you have me for?" he asked in a playfully sceptic tone. The sleep was still in his eyes but he was always far more alert than she could ever be in the middle of the night. Sliding her hand down to his shoulder, she grazed her knuckles softly over his clavicle and the beads that decorated it before letting it drop onto the crook of his arm that kept him propped up.

"You may have your other uses at times," she sniffed, trying to sound indifferent even though a grin broke out against her will. A sharp poke into her side followed by a featherlight touch had her gasping for a reprieve that he eventually gave her when she held up her hands in surrender and put on her serious face. "Doesn't it call you?"

"The full moon? Not really," Klaus shrugged. She watched him carefully as his eyes remained on her sheet-covered waist, under which she could feel his hand curl around her hip before deciding to splay out onto her stomach once again. "Its stronger than it is on other days, but I have the will to turn when I want, so why would I let the moon dictate it?"

"Because you'd have the other wolves to play with," she replied in an innocent tone that earned her a bemused look and a quirk of an eyebrow. It was now her turn to shrug. "What? I don't know what they do when they turn. I'm sure they have fun. Not all of them turn just to attack."

"I'm sure they attack too, love," he smirked as she scrunched up her nose at him. "Besides, I have my hybrids. Why would I bother with some mutts in the woodlands?" he added haughtily.

"Said like a true king," Caroline taunted sarcastically, watching as his smirk broadened into a dimpled grin. She had to fight all of her natural instincts to grab him when she saw his tongue dart out to lick at his lips, and reminded herself that she wanted to know more first. "What's it like when you turn?"

Klaus remained silent for a moment, his brow furrowing in thought. "Peaceful. In touch with one's instincts and playing by nature's laws."

"You don't play by anyone's rules but your own," Caroline reminded him with a gentle nudge to the arm.

"I can abide if I like them," he told her indignantly, lips pursed. Giggling silently, she reached up to press her thumb to the corner of his mouth and ease out the lines. She could see him roll his eyes in the moonlight as he captured her hand in his before leaning down to nuzzle her neck. "You feel free and relaxed. No worries, no problems," he breathed against her skin, raising up to meet her eyes whilst a sly smirk began to appear. "No nagging wife."

"Watch it. Don't think I won't banish you to the couch," Caroline scowled, slapping him on the chest and pointing menacingly at him. Klaus had the decency to look reprimanded at her threat, and she huffed in pride over the hold she (still) had over him. "I like you in wolf form," she said, going back to the conversation they had been having. He raised an eyebrow in incredulity at her. "You're calm and obedient. And so adorable."

"I am _not_ adorable, Caroline," Klaus gritted out through clenched teeth, pulling away from her with a hidden smile when she reached out to grip his chin and shake him.

"Yeah, but you are," she grinned tauntingly but rolled her own eyes at him when he moodily remained silent. In these silly little moments, Caroline could sometimes forget that she was actually dealing with a thousand year old man; the Big Bad Original Hybrid at that too. "Ok, ok, forget I said anything. If you like being a wolf so much, why don't turn more often?"

Klaus sighed and rested his head against his hand so he could look down at her once again. "I prefer to spend my time with you than with others," he stated matter-of-factly, causing her to melt. Despite his petulant ways at times, he could still render her speechless and double her love for him with a simple line straight from the heart usually in the privacy of their bed.

"Sweet talker," she muttered when she couldn't come up with anything else to say, pushing herself up to kiss him chastely. "Ok, I'm ready to go back to sleep now."

"Sleep? Really?" he asked her incredulously. To be fair, in the week that they had been at the cabin, there had rarely been a time where they had merely fallen asleep. It was usually after a couple of rounds of passionate and intense lovemaking that they would pass out from sheer exhaustion, and it was her who would always insist on more. Biting her bottom lip coyly, she peered up at him through her eyelashes causing him to back down without a fight. "Sure, my love."

Grinning, Caroline twisted onto her side to face the windows, the howling from the wolves still a distant sound that penetrated the night. Feeling him settle in behind her, she reached back for his arm and pulled it tightly around her waist, gripping onto his hand in a fist over her stomach. His front was flush against her back, and his natural warmth seeped through her clothes and skin into her bones to surround herself with him inside and out. If there was anything that could keep the rest of the bad dreams at bay for the night, it would be being wrapped in Klaus' arms.

* * *

Caroline tugged at the thin blanket she had draped around her shoulders like a cape, pulling it tighter in her fists as she shuffled into the living area. "Its cold," she all but whined, coming to a stop in front of the couch Klaus currently occupied. He was reading some old poetry book he had found in the cabin (she had no idea where it came from because as far as she knew, neither one of her parents read poetry and she liked her classic novels), bare feet resting on the coffee table in front of him and looking like the perfect epitome of relaxation.

"You're a vampire, Caroline. You can't _feel_ cold," he stated dryly, not sparing her a glance though she could hear the smile in his tone. His words rang true; she wasn't _actually_ cold. She could feel the slight gusts of wind that penetrated the house from under the doors and the lack of heating did nothing for the autumn weather that cooled the whole place down, but her comfort levels were the same as it had been in New Orleans.

"It _looks_ cold," she rectified with a glare. The steady pattering of the rain outside followed by the rustling of the trees was enough to paint her a picture of what it _should_ feel like. When Klaus looked out of the window to see what she was talking about, she plucked the book out of his hand and gently shoved him on the shoulder. "Move," she commanded with a nod of the head indicating where she wanted him to move to exactly.

"I was reading that," he sighed, taking his feet of the table and twisting slightly so that she could curl up into the crook of his body between him and the couch as his arm came around her to hold her tightly to him. She made a show of flaring the blanket over the both of them, tucking it under his other hip, before snuggling back into his side and resting her ear just above his undead heart.

Sighing contently, she closed her eyes and hugged him gently. "There, now we're comfy. You can carry on- You already have," she huffed when she opened an eye to see him already flipping back through the poetry book that laid right before her eyes.

"Was there a reason behind this or did the separation anxiety just get to you?" Klaus asked in amusement, softly rubbing his hand up and down her arm through the blanket.

Caroline scoffed at his comment. "Um, pot meet kettle, much? _You're_ the one who can't spend more than a couple of hours apart without constantly contacting me," she said, reminding him of all the times she would go out with her friends or mother, or even with his siblings, and he would start blowing up her phone with texts.

She felt him shrug under her before his lips brushed over her forehead. "I do that out of worry, sweetheart. You are and have always been a trouble magnet. It only intensifies when I'm not there," he told her matter-of-factly.

"And here I thought it was out of love," she muttered, slapping him lazily on the chest and causing the book to fall out of his hand for a moment.

"Now, what would give you that idea?" he teased even as he picked the book back up again.

"Yeah, you're right. Its not like you've ever given me a reason to think as such," Caroline grumbled, knocking the book back out of his hand petulantly, causing him to chuckle before he tossed it onto the table next to them.

"Is that so?" he murmured, and she had to fight the urge to close her eyes once again when she felt his fingers start to play with her hair soothingly. Instead, she pushed herself up onto her elbow and shot him a dark look.

"_Klaus!_ C'mon! I _literally_ threw myself at you," she groaned, finally deciding that enough was enough and she wasn't above admitting that she had ulterior motives to their cuddling. "We have a couch and a blanket, and no one to disturb us. Do I need to draw you a picture or will you jus-?"

Before she could even finish the sentence, Caroline found herself on her back at the other end of the couch with Klaus hovering above her. His body was hard and lean as his legs intertwined with hers, applying pressure in all the right places to make every cell in her body come alive.

"Just, what?" he asked innocently, tugging away the blanket to get rid of one of the layers that separated them.

Pressing her body up against his to elicit a throaty growl from deep in him, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth seductively when his eyes faintly gleamed yellow. "Why don't you tell me?"

He grabbed her thigh and guided her leg to hook around his waist as he sunk into her. "I'll do one better and I'll _show_ you."

* * *

Peeking out of the bathroom discreetly, Caroline smiled with relief at the sight of Klaus laying on his stomach and facing away from her with the sheets tangled around him looking like the Greek god she always found him to be. Yet the best part that morning was that he was still fast asleep. It was a miracle that she had managed to sneak out of bed alone, but she'd been planning this ever since she convinced him to their little getaway.

Putting her plan in motion a few days earlier, she had continuously tired him (and herself) out with talking and sex until she knew that he would crash out long enough for her to simply get up before him. It was a rare feat, but her forethinking and prior experience had clearly paid off as she glanced in the mirror one more time, puckering her lips to check that her fresh coat of lip-gloss was crease-free and double-checking that her mascara and eyeliner hadn't smudged. Glad everything was flawless, she tugged down the hem of Klaus' henley to make sure that what she had on underneath wasn't visible, and took one final look to muss up her hair slightly with the tips of her fingers. Now, she was _perfect_.

Crawling onto the bed, she leaned over him to rest her chin on his shoulder so she could speak into his ear. "Baby? Baby, wake up," she sang softly, gently stroking his arm to coerce him back to the land of the living.

A groan left his lips, bringing a smile to her face. The roles were usually reversed, and she was happy to be on _this_ end for once. "Must I, Caroline?" he muttered, burying his face back into his pillow and tucking his arm further underneath it to stop her ministrations. She shook her head at his actions, but moved her hand to stroke his hair instead.

"C'mon, Klaus. It's your _birthday_," she revealed in excitement, peppering the smooth skin behind his ear with little kisses.

He sighed heavily into his pillow, scrunching up his nose when her hair tickled it. "No, it's not."

"It _is_. Remember, I did the maths?" Caroline reminded him, falling onto his back as she retold her story that she made sure he knew very well. "Finding out which day in which moon cycle you were born before corresponding that with the Julian calendar and then converting it into our Gregorian calendar?"

She felt him stiffen at her explanation before his resolve gave in and he slowly began to shift. "How can I forget when you remind me every year?" he stated dryly, turning onto his back and leaning against the headrest. She sat up next to him until he was settled to climb over and straddle his lap.

"I remind you because, _funny thing_, Klaus; birthdays come once every year!" she exclaimed in an overly saccharine tone and poking him in the chest with every word. The glare that he shot at her didn't deter her from teasing him further. "Just be glad I'm not keeping tabs on your actual age," she smirked, taking a moment to think and add, "1077."

"_Magnificent_," Klaus sighed through a ghost of a smile, hands dancing over the bare skin of her thighs, rubbing them softly with his warm hands.

Caroline smiled, framing his face with her hands and bringing her mouth to his. It was tentative at first, playfully brushing them across his to smear some of her lip-gloss onto his luscious mouth. She crooked a smile at him when she pulled back slightly to look at her handiwork; stretching out a thumb to smooth over his bottom lip, tugging it down a little before letting go and leaning back in kiss him passionately. He nipped her cupid's bow gently with his teeth and soothed it with the tip of his tongue before she could even react. A shiver ran down her spine at the sensual act, moaning deep in her throat and meeting his tongue with hers with a quick swipe before pulling away. She grinned at his attempt to follow her and draw her back in, but she forced him away with a hand to his chest and reclaimed control of the situation.

"Happy birthday, Klaus," she told him for the first time (and not the last if she had anything to do with it) that day.

"I'm still not entirely convinced it is today," he replied with a frown, but she refused to let him play it down. For someone who had talked so big about birthdays the first time they had properly met on her now infamous 18th, he had never been into celebrating his own. Until she had come into his life, she knew he had never celebrated it.

But she was different from him and his siblings. She grew up in a time where birthdays were meant to be made a big fuss about and to spoil someone rotten. Though the latter was pretty hard with Klaus (it was hard to spoil a man who got everything he wanted), she indulged in making sure his birthday was special every year. If he could do it for her (and spoil her rotten at the same time), then it was the least she could do for him.

Caroline walked her fingers up his abdomen until she reached his necklaces, watching her fingers intensely and the muscles that reacted under her touch. "Well, how about we discuss that further over the breakfast I plan on making you?" she suggested, glancing up at him through her eyelashes and silently congratulating herself when she saw him visibly swallow.

"Now?" he asked incredulously with a hint of disappointment, hands travelling higher on her legs until she was forced to slap them away and shoot him a stern look to tell him that _she_ was in charge that morning.

"Nope. _Now_, we just celebrate," she told him, reaching down to the hem of her top and pulling it off to reveal her brand new, and _very_ expensive, red lace and diamanté underwear. She bit her lip as he straightened suddenly and took her in; eyes sparkling in delight and darkening with lust, telling her that she had absolutely made the right choice with his present this year (getaway included).

Caroline grinned when he reached out to follow the crystal studded strap of her bra with his finger, crossing over her chest to settle at the teardrop diamond at the middle of her breasts. "I take it back, love. It is _definitely_ my birthday today," was all that she got out of him as he gripped her lace covered hips, pulling her tightly into him, before he attached his mouth to hers, and didn't leave her body altogether for hours afterwards.

* * *

"All packed, love?" Klaus asked as she dragged her suitcase out of the cabin. Somehow, it had gotten heavier and much harder to pack than when they had arrived. Pulling it down the stairs, she laid it at his feet where he leant against the sleek black SUV. His phone was in his hand, switched on and vibrating gently at the incoming messages. Trust Klaus to have saved enough battery to last a full two weeks without a recharge. Her phone had died the evening after the electricity had gone out. Funnily enough though, it had given her a piece of freedom and she had relished in the lack of anxiety to having to reply to all her messages immediately.

"Yeah," Caroline sighed, turning back to look at the cabin with a hint of gloom. "You know, I'm kinda sad to leave. It was a great couple of weeks."

Klaus paused from where he was about to place her suitcase into the car. "We can always stay, you know. New Orleans isn't going anywhere and Elijah is happy to keep an eye on it for longer," he suggested without any sense of bias. She knew he truly wouldn't have minded whichever decision she made.

"As tempting as that is, I think I'm ready to get back to reality now," she told him with a confident nod. There was only so much time they could hide away from the rest of the world with each other. She wished it was longer than the couple of weeks they had spent together, but unfortunately, they had other necessities to attend to. "But hey, you were right. I didn't need electricity or lights, or my hair curler, to have a good time. Just needed you."

"I'm glad to hear it, Caroline. You're all I need, too," he said, coming back to stand before her after shutting the car trunk. She looped her arms around his waist and pulled herself into him, head resting on his chest as she stared blankly at the wooden house in front of them. "There are some amazing places in the Amazon and the Andes we can visit. They're completely detached from modern society and untouched by humans for the most part. You would love it."

Pulling back, she looked up at him with a crooked smile. "Yeah? Well, I reckon after living like cavemen, I could definitely hack that. Bring it on," she teased, causing him to laugh. Brushing a kiss against his lips, she reluctantly stepped away and inhaled the clean, fresh air for the final time before they hit the road. "But lets go home first. I'm _dying_ for an actual hot shower."

**x**

* * *

So apparently being 'For Poorer' translates into having a lot of sex for me :P Oh well, I'm sure these two wouldn't complain. Hope everyone enjoyed! Thank you again for all the reviews so far - over 50 yay! Please, keep them coming :) I love hearing from you guys.

Oh, also, I tried to research when exactly Klaus was human/born, but I came up with nothing so I'm going to go with him being born in 971, and having died in 994. I think I picked that up from somewhere because it sounds legit to me haha.

As always, many _many_ thanks to my wonderful beta _ssklarolinewrites_.


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